I saw this post on another website, but it was so chilling I thought it wouldn't hurt to post it here. I don't think I'll be going to Westport any time soon.....


Well Saturday I took Louie Louie out to get some crab. I had not be out
in the ocean since last Nov. Seems like every weekend the swell goes up to
11-12ft. I took the boat across the bar around 12pm. The tide was coming in.
There were big swells which I was able to go over without too much trouble.
I don't like having to go over those vertical 6-8ft waves, but once
committed, you have to keep going. Once outside the rough weather just kept
the boat rocking and rolling. It beat the crap out of me. I dropped my traps
in 45 to 50ft of water and the swells were taking the floats under. I didn't
want to get any closer to shore since there was big surf and I wanted to
stay away from it.
I slowly putted over to the fishing reef and thought I would bottom fish
some. I dropped a line down but the drift was so bad, I don't think the line
ever hit the bottom. Then it started to rain. I thought, "this is not fun.
What are you doing out here?". So I put on the back of the canvas to keep
dry and decided to head in and pick up the crab traps. HIgh tide was to be
at 5:18pm and it was about 3:30pm then. I was worried about crossing the bar
and decided to just go back in early. I couldn't find the first traps I
dropped, as expected. I marked them with GPS, but still couldn't see the
flags. So I went to the last one and pulled it. No crabs at all. That is
unusual for the ocean. So I headed over to the NR bouy and took a look at
the bar. Waves were breaking in front of the entrance between the Jetties.
Usually I pick a wave and follow it in. So I did that. A big swell went by
and I followed it. It started to break and I could see greenish light coming
thru it. I stayed about 12ft behind it. But then it stopped moving. I had to
throttle down to keep from going over it. I was just a wall of water
blocking my way. I never saw this happen before. Usually they break and then
disappear as they hit deeper water. I was trying to figure out what to do
when the boat started to rise. I thought, "what the hell is going on?". I
looked to my right and I saw a verticle wall of water and I and the boat
were about halfway up the wall. Then I knew a wave had caught up to me from
behind. Then in just a few seconds, the boat started to go sideways. I think
the weight of the engines caused the stern to fall faster than the prow.
Just as I thought this is not good, there was a crash and I was underwater.
I was in the cabin with all canvas up but was submerged. I thought, "OK, you
just capsized." I don't remember doing anything except to kick and swim up
and I surfaced next to the boat. The waves were big and were breaking over
me and the boat. They would take me under and shake me around like a rag
doll. After about the 4th wave I remember thinking, "you could drown out
here". I said to myself, just relax, take deep breaths and let the waves
push you in. I swam over to the boat and cut one of the big fenders off its
cleat. Then I used it as a float. A current took me and the boat right into
the bay, past the jetty, and into the channel. I just hung on and kicked
some. My pants kept coming down which was very irritating. I eventually
reached the jetty and climbed out. The water was 50 degrees, so I wasn't too
cold. But I couldn't make my legs work. It was very had to stand up and
climb over the rocks of the Jetty. Some boaters from Jetty Fishery towed the
Louie Louie in and tied it off to a buoy. The insurance company is going to
salvage it today, dry it out, and start workng on the motors. So Sat was
about the worse day I have had boating. I really don't know how I could have
crossed that bar so I wouldn't have capsized. The only thing which would
make a difference is just not to go out when it is rough. But there are
always risks. I usually wear an inflatable PFD. But I was having
preminitions about crossing the bar. So I changed to a different PFD with
foam pads sewed into pockets, like a jacket. I thought it might have more
flotation. I was very glad to have it. I did not have to struggle to keep my
head up. Each time a wave took me down, the jacket brought me back up.
Without it I may have drowned.

Sorry for the length. Craig was supposed to go out with me but
cancelled. Craig, you made the right call.

-Lou

"Shinen, Louis W" <louis.w.shinen@intel.com>

WOW what a story. I guess you never know what will happen when you take to the water for the day.

about?

Holy she yit bat man!

What a nightmare! Glad to hear he made it out ok.

I know two who never came back from charter trips out of Westport. Kinda feels like I just got a glimpse into what might of happened

That story gives me the heebie jeebies. When in doubt - W.O.T. wide open throttle !

I agree with Wooly Bully..... want to get in trouble?......be under horsepowered.... can't allow following seas to push you around, they will slide you into a trough and bury you. Very lucky outcome.

Bad times

good to hear he made it out ok. To me, no crab is worth that :-p


~MATT

I don't think more hp would've done him any good. When crossing a bar like Westport, it's best to sit and watch the waves for at least fifteen to thirty minutes before attempting to cross. Waves always come in a series. You will have several series of medium waves and then a series of large waves. The problem is the pattern is different from hour to hour depinding on the tide and storm movement. If you watch for the time suggested you can usually get a sense of when your best shot will be and then you get in the trough and stay in it. Bottom Line is the guy was nuts for going out in the first place. It's also good to check with the Coast Guard. They usually have bar warnings posted. Most people get in trouble because they don't want to listen to the Coast Guard.