Lake Erie War Stories....
#31
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Similar to Thrills story....., We were out in the old Sonic in the rough when I cut my head pretty good. I ran w/the cabin doors open and snapped against the sides of the helm. They were 1/2" thick lexan and were tall enough that the corners stuck up past the dash on the low/aft sides. Water (and air) was very cold and we were both ducking from the freezing spray coming over the bow when the boat lurched as I ducked and I whacked my head on the corner of the door and sliced my head open. We were both soaked and cold with water running down our faces from our wet hair. Mine was, of course mixing w/the blood and making it look WAY worse than it actually was as it ran down my face.
The G.F. was freaking from the sight of all the blood and the realization that we were in the middle of nowhere (n. of Middle Isl.) and a long way from any help.
I felt fine and was fairly sure it was much more minor than appeared but w/no way to knowing for sure I started worrying about bleeding out and passing out. We changed course and headed for safety and luckily soon learned it was minor.
That kind of crap always made me nervous though when you are in the middle of no where and have something happen, then what?
(a great example of why the 1st mate needs to able to run the boat)
The G.F. was freaking from the sight of all the blood and the realization that we were in the middle of nowhere (n. of Middle Isl.) and a long way from any help.
I felt fine and was fairly sure it was much more minor than appeared but w/no way to knowing for sure I started worrying about bleeding out and passing out. We changed course and headed for safety and luckily soon learned it was minor.
That kind of crap always made me nervous though when you are in the middle of no where and have something happen, then what?
(a great example of why the 1st mate needs to able to run the boat)
#32
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and people wonder why i have a slow mistress, the best lake erie boat i can afford.... Lol
i have gone over in conditions many times that left every other boat in the marinas, i had a chris craft 245 limited and went in 6-8 fotters once, what a trip that was, the boat had a 19dgree deadrise and you can imagine how that was, we made it though...
Had the 32 baja out numerous times when nobody else was out due toi big water, no idea how i made it back after parting the boat and finding the amout of rot i found...once we came down so hard my gf pants fell down... Ahhah
love lake erie, if you think you have seen rough conditions, come to a great lake this time of year, i have friends that have boated all over the country and they still swear the great lakes are the worst of the worst, they may not be 30 ft ocean swells, but our square waves suck especially if you have something less then 30ft....
i have gone over in conditions many times that left every other boat in the marinas, i had a chris craft 245 limited and went in 6-8 fotters once, what a trip that was, the boat had a 19dgree deadrise and you can imagine how that was, we made it though...
Had the 32 baja out numerous times when nobody else was out due toi big water, no idea how i made it back after parting the boat and finding the amout of rot i found...once we came down so hard my gf pants fell down... Ahhah
love lake erie, if you think you have seen rough conditions, come to a great lake this time of year, i have friends that have boated all over the country and they still swear the great lakes are the worst of the worst, they may not be 30 ft ocean swells, but our square waves suck especially if you have something less then 30ft....
#33
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Years ago, an old friend of mine had a 38 foot flat deck Cigarette. We went to Kelleys Island on a Friday night for the Booze Cruz fun. We left at midnight, 3 girls on board, heading to Sandusky. Little did we know the wind kicked up big time from the northeast and we ran smack dab into 10 footers. He decided, against my opinion, we should get CLOSER to Marblehead and the lighthouse. I told him it would be worse, and it was. Now we were in 10-12's and breaking on the top of the crest. We were so close to the lighthouse at one point I was holding on the oh **** handle waiting for us to run aground. We rode the trough and the waves were so big on each side of us that you could see the glow of the navigation lights in the walls of water. I am 6'6" and the waves were way above my head. Needless to say, we did make it back to Sandusky and the bilge pumps ran the whole ride back. As Tim would say, " That's Cig water!"
#34
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I have had 2 times out in Erie that could have ended my life early. 1st was going out walleye fishing after dark, I was about 13 yrs old & out with my dad on his 16' glastron tri-hull open bow. It was real windy & when we got past the breakwall the 1st wave was like a 8' - 10' hole we went into, he was able to put the throttle in it & spin a 180 & get us right back in the channel past the breakwall. Close to being a bowsinker that night.
2nd we were several miles out trolling for walleye in same 16' in heavy fog, couldnt see crap. Dead calm & then a big azz tugboat came flying bye within 20 yards of us, I doubt he ever knew we were there & sure we didn't show on his radar.
Neither time we had life jackets on, or a ship to shore radio. Makes me think the old man wasn't as smart as I thought he was.
2nd we were several miles out trolling for walleye in same 16' in heavy fog, couldnt see crap. Dead calm & then a big azz tugboat came flying bye within 20 yards of us, I doubt he ever knew we were there & sure we didn't show on his radar.
Neither time we had life jackets on, or a ship to shore radio. Makes me think the old man wasn't as smart as I thought he was.
#35
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about 7 years ago i went to pib for an over nighter on my 27 mach1 and when i went to leave on sunday the lake was bad. when i got between kelleys and the main land i ran in to 10 to 12s. when i came down off the top of one wave i went right in to the next. the boat snuffed the wave so hard that it blew one of my side windows out. that was a long ride back. was going to vermilion but went in to sandusky bay instead and called for a ride.