Rescue at the Point......

[DarkSkies]

© DarkSkies 2013

This will be another one of those stories that will show you entertainment, drama, chivalry, high adrenalin levels, danger, and a happy ending.....;)

[DarkSkies]

I figured it would find it's way onto the internet already as several folks showed up in the morning and probably took pics....
I haven't seen it mentioned yet....but just in case, I will try to give the rescued couple their privacy, unless somone else identifies them or their vessel first......

[DarkSkies]

I'll try to fill it in a little at a time, as I get a moment....
Those of ya's who already know...please don't spoil it for the others....:beatin:
thanks.....

[DarkSkies]

And thanks for reading....hope ya's enjoy....
Keep checking back for more installments.....:HappyWave:

[robmedina]

based on the frequency of your first 4 post there should be many more details by now!!! :) the suspense is killing me!

[jigfreak]

And thanks for reading....hope ya's enjoy....
Keep checking back for more installments.....:HappyWave:

2 months to finish this one too. anyone want to take the over/ under and take the other side of the bet?:laugh:

[cowherder]

didn't hear anything about it yet was there this morning. cool look foreward to the story!

[Monty]

didn't hear anything about it yet was there this morning. cool look foreward to the story!

Me too, I like a good boat stuck story.

http://rocksimpson.com/images/2013_5_28_Boat.jpg

[storminsteve]

This will be another one of those stories that will show you , chivalry, and a happy ending.....;)

Dude I hope there was a damsel in distress in a bikini and you got a handy out of it for the rescue. Or at least a kiss.:HappyWave:

[finchaser]

I know the story and can assure you it will only be told here :kooky:

[vpass]

Did any fisherman get hit by the boat?

[DarkSkies]

^ You weren't out there fishin again, were ya? ;) :HappyWave:

[J Barbosa]

Out with the details already!

[Pebbles]

Where the He-- is the story! I am the girlfriend and I don't even know it yet. :beatin: I am hearing tales of seamonsters coming out of the sea and dragging them down 200 ft until "Heather" came in a wonder woman costume and rescued them.

[DarkSkies]

OK just for you,, sweetheart,,,,I'll try to finish this story....but just know, that even though I love ya....if I ever get to rescue Heather Locklear,,,,I get a free pass for the night.,...you get one as well for RR.......:laugh: :kiss:




******
Where was I?........

OK. I had set out for a night of fishing,....it was nasty, and not fit for man or beast.....a savage SE storm was predicted, but as usual I figured I would find a way to fish in front of it......

I knew I only had a few hours before it turned real nasty.....had checked all the weather forecasts....and knew at most I would have a 2 hour window, to find some fish....the plan was to fish slack tide, and see what I could scrounge up........

[Pebbles]

OK just for you,, sweetheart,,,,I'll try to finish this story....but just know, that even though I love ya....if I ever get to rescue Heather Locklear,,,,I get a free pass for the night.,...you get one as well for RR.......:laugh: :kiss:


Excuse me, does that mean you would save Heather first and if you have time save me! "Dog House" time!:viking:

[DarkSkies]

As I walked out there....I saw a red light looming over the restricted area......
Any one of ya's who has seen the newest "war of the worlds" will know what I am talking about.....

It was a red light bobbing up and down over the horizon......looked like it might be the Martians scouting for the scent of human blood.....

My alcoholic and drug dependency past is no secret here....detailed in the Bill W thread......
And sometimes, on nights like that....which coincidentally was the night of the new moon....with little moonlignt and lots of shadows that appear to be other things....I was wondering if the light I was seeing, was like some kind of flashback from all the acid I did in my teen years.......:plastered:


During the new moon, your mind can play lots of tricks on you, especially in areas where there is little or no ambient light......:kooky:

[DarkSkies]

Excuse me, does that mean you would save Heather first and if you have time save me! "Dog House" time!:viking:

Of course not, sweetheart......this would presume Heather was out there by herself, all alone and needing salvation......or life saving, or whatever.....;) :kiss:

And we already agreed I get a free pass, if somehow our paths were to cross, just as you get one for RR.....:kiss: .....



**If I had to choose between you, and Heather.....of course you know I would have to let her to sink to the bottom of the ocean, while saving you..... and staying by the lifeboat, a la Titanic style...until they came and saved you.......

We both know I'm going to die first....it would be the highest honor to die, while saving my sweetheart from disaster......


(How many points did I get for that answer?) :) :HappyWave:

[DarkSkies]

Back to the story........


I saw this moving red light over the restricted zone...as that area is closed for plover nesting. I really did not want to take the walk out there....and risk getting hassled by the rangers.........or fined for tresspassing......

But I knew this red light wasn't an acid flashback....I had seen this several times before, from all my years of fishing the Hook....

I knew in my head, it was somene in trouble...someone in distress.......

I only had 2 hours to fish...but I was compelled to take the walk out there....to see if I could help.....

[DarkSkies]

As I got closer, I saw that it was a mast of a big sailboat...it was stuck at the sandbar, directly at the Point......otherwise known as the False Rip.......


Let me paint a picture of the conditions as I walked out there, and closer to the impending disaster.......

It was a beautiful sailboat, about 40' or larger.....one that probably had sailed to many places.....


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The seas were 2-3', it was slack tide, and yet they were building......the False Rip is no place to be when a SE pattern is building up....as it can be unpredictable.....

Coupled wiith a new moon tide, I knew that it would soon go from bad....to worse......
I have been fortunate enough to survive some boating and kayaking incidents in my life.....have seen how quickly things can go from bad to worse.....so I was in a pretty hyped up mood, as I approached these folks, knowing that whatever time we had was not guaranteed.....

[DarkSkies]

The rain....it was sideways, coming from the SE, and building.....

At first it was a light SE., but any of ya's with some saltwater experience, know that slack tide is usually the calmest part of the weather pattern...if it's gonna get bad, it will get bad after the tide change.....and it did....with the rain growing progressively worse.,....and the seas starting to build from 2-3, to steady 4' swells, with a duration of less than 4 secs, as the tide stated coming in.....


I knew the tide would soon be screaming, and time was of the essence......

I hailed the boat with my headlamp as I got closer....at first I thought there was just one guy on board.....
turns out he had his wife with him as well........

I was probably a little too hyper as I approached him.......
I asked him if he was ok and if I could help........


He said: "We're fine, Sea Tow is coming"

I asked him how long ago they said they would be there......
"One hour ago"

[DarkSkies]

I knew in this building weather pattern., Sea Tow might have difficulty rescuing him at night.....So I started interrogating him.....

"Did you call the Coast Guard? You need someone other than sea tow in case they don't come through. You are in a very dangerous position here Capt....when the tide starts coming in it will be getting worse......
You have to notify the Coast Guard. and think about leaving your boat., and coming ashore....if the tide hits you the wrong way you or your wife could get washed off, and it would be difficult to find you in this darkness and current...."


He was still a little too nonchalant for me....and I have to admit that irritated me. It did not seem he knew the danger of this Point....
I asked hiim where he was coming from....turns out he was an experienced Capt. He and his wife had just come from the Bahamas, and had sailed to many places......he said they got pushed into the sandbar by the wind and waves.....

It was a reasonable mistake, that a transient traveler would make, and I believed him.


I stepped back, away from the sailboat,. trying to figure out what to do.......

[DarkSkies]

I saw the waves building, and the tide just started coming in. It was coming in hard. Frequently with the moon tides there is only a 15 minute or less period of slack, ...that's how it was this night.....and then the tide really was moving....the waves got bigger....and it was getting tougher to approach his sailboat.....


I was a little nervous...
Have been out there when folks have died before, and I didn't have a good feeling about him staying on his boat.....I knew I had to try to get them off that boat, somehow.....


I was still a little too hyper,,,,,my 2nd approach got him rattled.....and he yelled at me....
"Look, I know we're in a bad situation here, but you aren't making it any better....I am still trying to figure out what to do....."

I realized how hyper I had become...and knew it was time to ramp my energy level down.......
I have a background of dysfunctionality in my family for years, and have had lots of experience dealing with difficullt situations, so I decided to gain his confidence, and let him know he was still in control, and whatever decisions were made, would be his.....

He responded to that...and with clearer heads, we both set out to try to work out some kind of plan....

[DarkSkies]

He:
"Well sea tow was coming, but I'm not sure when they will be here now....
The Coast Guiard will not help because they say our lives are not in danger...this is protocol with them, this is how it is"

Me:
"Well you are the Capt,,,you are in charge. I want to help you, but you have to make the choices.....and I am telliing you that this tide will get more dangerous as it comes in. You need to think about coming ashore....I know your boat is probably worth more than I can imagine. but your, and your wife's lives, are worth more.....If the tide gets worse, I may not be in a position to help you any more."



That got to him. and he said he would get things ready., to come ashore......

[DarkSkies]

As I walked away from his boat a 2nd time,.....I got hit with a big wave, cut me off at the knees.....

It hit me sideways, and I was knocked down into the swirling water of the new moon flood tide......:scared:
I got up instantly.....my life preservation instincts kicked in....and I got mad......:burn:

And got the hell away from that boat......:learn:

Meanwhile, he had unfurled his sail, an important part to save his boat.....and was preparing to come ashore......















At that point, I said to myself......
I am not getting killed, or drowned, over this freaking situatioin...It's not my fault, I did not cause it...and I will not die over this....
I will remain calm, and help them as best as I can....but I am not dying for these people.....

**(Most importantly....Pebbles would be mad at me...if I died......;) :blackeye: :()

[DarkSkies]

As the seas built, and the boat began to rock some more, it became violent.....at first the keel of the boat stuck in the sand, helped to stabilize it.....but eventually as the tide came in the boat began to rock to and fro........

Each time, the port side stayed hard to the land side, and the boat took it well...
but as the tide filled in, the boat started swaying back and forth, and there was concen if it somehow rolled too much to starboard, it would take on water...then, at times, it started rolling to starboard......


The 3rd time I approached them, they were ready to come ashore........
The wife jumped off first....I helped her make it safely.....
He came next, but had some gear they wanted to save, in waterproof dry bags....and had to go back more than once.....

Each time he went back, it became more nerve wracking, as the boat started to roll a little bit more......

[DarkSkies]

Finally, we were all on shore, about 50' away from the boat, trying to figure out a plan with Sea Tow......


The rain had been building, and by now was hitting us sideways....we were all soaked to our skin with the cold SE water.......

[DarkSkies]

Continued tomorrow when I get some more time....stay tuned.....:HappyWave:

[ledhead36]

Continued tomorrow. what happened to tonight I was just getting ino the story. Dark you ****!!!!!:2flip: :HappyWave:

[robmedina]

Continued tomorrow. what happened to tonight I was just getting ino the story. Dark you ****!!!!!:2flip: :HappyWave: Dang he got me too!


looked like it might be the Martians scouting for the scent of human blood..... I was cracking up over this!

[bababooey]

**If I had to choose between you, and Heather.....of course you know I would have to let her to sink to the bottom of the ocean, while saving you..... and staying by the lifeboat, a la Titanic style...until they came and saved you.......

We both know I'm going to die first....it would be the highest honor to die, while saving my sweetheart from disaster......


(How many points did I get for that answer?) :) :HappyWave:


Dude, tell the truth, she was standing reading over your shoulder as you typed that.:laugh: :HappyWave:

I'm impressed for a surf rat you have so much boating knowledge, dark. Port, starboard, etc you must have spent at least a few years on the seas. Why so big on the surf now when it's a lot easier to find them in a boat?
When are you going to finish this story? Get cracking!

[DarkSkies]

Dude, tell the truth, she was standing reading over your shoulder as you typed that.:laugh: :HappyWave:

I'm impressed for a surf rat you have so much boating knowledge, dark. Port, starboard, etc you must have spent at least a few years on the seas. Why so big on the surf now when it's a lot easier to find them in a boat?



Bababooey....
1. Nope, she wasn't standing over my shoulder....nice try....:moon::HappyWave:
We both have separate houses...that way when I smell real bad from fishing 48 hours at a clip, she doesn't have to smell me till I take one or 2 showers to get the stink off....:)

2. I spent quite a few years on a friend's boat when we went out for tuna and other species....So I do know my way around boats...
Since he didn't have GPS in the beginning, I was the compass man, and responsible for seeing that when we came back from an offshore trip, we would come back to the right inlet.....

How many of ya's are old enough to remember the days of going out on a trip before GPS......or following a party boat back in a fog that was so bad you could only see 100' in front of ya? :scared: Those were some scary times...you young folks don't know how easy you have it now....

[finchaser]

^^^^^^:clapping::clapping::clapping: still say the channel is a major shipping lanes channel and they miss it in a little boat and he calls him captain. Well at least from DS'S constant dunking's must have smelt good. the answer to why surf over boat for him it's safer as he is the true master of disaster even in a kayak.

[DarkSkies]

Finally, we were all on shore, about 50' away from the boat, trying to figure out a plan with Sea Tow......


The rain had been building, and by now was hitting us sideways....we were all soaked to our skin with the cold SE water.......


Continued......
We got SeaTow to come out...but he was having trouble....

He tried to set up to get close to the sailboat...
By that time the new moon flood tide was screaming.......and the current was very strong....

He tried several times to throw us a line...and it just wasn't working out...
He then came up with the idea to float it on a ball float....and told us to be on the lookout for it...
With the building seas, that 2' diameter ball looked like a cork bobbing in the middle of the ocean.

Soon it became apparent that wasn't going to work either...
He did say he was going to go way past the sailboat, and try to float the line back in the current...

We calculated with that building SE sea and screaming current he would have needed at least 500' of line to drift it in and reach us.
He tried several of these tactics for about 45 minutes.

[Pebbles]

he is the true master of disaster even in a kayak.

Wow could I tell stories!!

Just wondering who is it today Heather or me? :(

[Fishman]

The end of the Story?

[Monty]

The end of the Story?

:laugh: Are you kidding. The way Dark tells stories we won't know the end for weeks.....maybe months

[robmedina]

We both have separate houses...that way when I smell real bad from fishing 48 hours at a clip, she doesn't have to smell me till I take one or 2 showers to get the stink off....:)

Is that why the night excursions are more of a solo thing????

[DarkSkies]

^ You got it, Rob....:p :HappyWave:
I just don't undertstand groups of 5-6 guys out there fishing at night....as I mentioned in the surfcaster thread...

If it's a group excursion to go out sharking...where you need different team members to do different things, one to yak out the bait, another to being the fish in, another to see that the fish doesn't eat his friend...etc...

Or a bachelor party before a friend gets married and ya's all want to go fishing....:fishing:
Or a friendly get together where you are all fishing clams, bunker....sitting on the buckets, drinking beers, BBQing, having a good time....those are all ways to have a great time out there fishing.....

but they're not for me....







**The solitude I find when fishing out there...is more important to me than the fishing sometimes.....
If I run into someone I know, it's all good.....but more often than not, I'm out there alone at night....doing my own thing....just me against any achievements I have made in the past, trying for my best fish, no distractions, no conversations, no tea and crumpets.....;) trying my best to focus on the fishing and leave behind all the other distractions of everyday life......and grooving in that solitude.....for me that combination is invaluable....as I have mentioned several times...to each his own...:cool: :HappyWave:

[DarkSkies]

The end of the Story?


:laugh: Are you kidding. The way Dark tells stories we won't know the end for weeks.....maybe months
:moon: :2flip: :HappyWave:









Wow could I tell stories!!

Just wondering who is it today Heather or me? :(


It's always you, sweetheart,,,:heart: :kiss:,,,Heather is just a fantasy,,,,and the girl who I get a 1 week pass for, if she ever does show up in my life, needing advice....;) :HappyWave:

[DarkSkies]

Continued....

As mentioned SeaTow was trying....but his efforts were hampered by the building swell.....it seemed an impossible task to get that buoy and line from him........

The husband, Capt of the sailboat, was undaunted...however....
He had every intention of getting that line...
And was standing in knee deep water on a rising moon tide in hopes he would be able to reach it....

I tried to explain as diplomatically as I could (we were all a lot calmer now) :d
that if he got washed off where he was standing, we would almost immediately be in 30' deep rushing water, taking him West and out into the bay....that didn't seem to phase him, as he kept wading out deeper and deeper in hopes of reaching this line the SeaTow Capt was trying to get to us......

You have to picture this...the rescue boat was at least 150' away....with the dangerous seas he could not get any closer at that point...in my heart I knew we didn't have a prayer in hell of grabbing that line......

[DarkSkies]

The husband kept at it, though,,,,and somehow, because I was there, I felt responsible for his life, should things take a turn for the worse....

I saw that he was like a feisty pit-bull...he was shorter than me, but insisted in going out past his knees.....

I don't have time to explain the laws of physics and moving tides to my audience here,,,but I have a general rule that when moving around in rough water I try not to go in past my knees...

From playing Pop Warner football when I was a kid I learned a 3 point stance will give you a low center of gravity...you can take some punishment whether it be from the opposing team or the swell....

This has been helpful to me at times clambering on the rocks like a billy goat,,,and at times it has not helped at all...have had some not so successful experiences trying to stay on rocks on flood tides in places like Montauk and other notorious areas at night....I know that once you lose your balance., it can get dangerous quickly and you can be swimming in seconds...the flood tide is no joke and must be taken with grave seriousness......there have been many times I was fishing jetties and got into a little difficulty as the rising waters from the flood came in faster than I made the jump from one rock to the others...and have had many close calls in my life.....

[DarkSkies]

I knew if this Capt was in past his knees and a larger than average wave came in it would cut his balance off, no matter what his stance was...and he would go flying sideways, and out into the channel...with no way to find him in the building seas.....


I gave him a pep talk/survival talk first.....
"Listen I will be 100' to the West of you...if you do get washed off this Point I will do my best to grab you....
If for some reason I miss the grab you will get washed out into the channel, and it will be a long time before you are rescued...
If you have a survival instinct, I want you to know that if you are washed into that current, if you keep thinking about that Green buoy in the cove there, you can help save yourself.....
If you can somehow maneuver out of the current to just a few hundred feet SW of the Red buoy, you will see that the current will slow down because you will be out of the channel and the rip....You will then see the Green Buoy that defines the end of the cove and beginning of the channel....if you can make it that far into the cove, you will eventually come to where the water is 10' or less, and then 4' or less.

If you can make it to that cove, no matter how things are, you have a shot at being rescued, and survival."




He was very clear that he understood that, and thanked me.
At that point we were working in sync, like a team, trying our best to save his boat and get that line....

[DarkSkies]

We tried and we tried...
It seemed like an endless amount of time in that blinding rain...but it was probably closer to a 1/2 hour....

There were a few times I thought he was going to be washed off....I braced myself for the grab..:scared:..and thankfully he persevered and didn't get washed off....


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Meanwhile his wife was trying to do her part, maintaining constant cell phone contact with the Coast Guard (as mentioned they said they would not come out unless someone's life was in danger)..and the Rangers at Sandy Hook...to let them know of our progress....

It became apparent after some heroic effort, that the SeaTow line would not come close enough for us to grab....
Conversations were made where SeaTow said he would come back at 7am....we asked him to come back a little earlier as we still were concerned about the waves and saving the boat.....

He said he would try...(he was all by himself) and left us, to hang out on the beach, figuring out our next move.....

[DarkSkies]

The rain had not stopped by this time....it continued as fiercely as ever....
The air temps were in the 60's....the water was around 57 at that time......

The rain wasn't that cold, but as it kept hitting us sideways, and with all our trips out to the sailboat and back, we were all soaked...
Like wet rats we huddled on the desolate beach, blinding rain still driving sideways.....trying to figure out a plan.....

We were still in contact with the Sandy Hook Rangers....the wife said she was in distress and could they please come out and drive us back to some temporary shelter so they could get dried off before the morning...still 3 hours away.....

The Rangers said they dispatched a 4WD to pick us up......
I kept the couple focused on that....
We finally saw lights in the distance.....
30 minutes later we still had not seen the Rangers yet....

It was getting depressing, so she called them again.....

[DarkSkies]

That call to the Ranger station asking for help got a more candid response......

"Folks, we are sorry we can not pick you up at the beach. The only Ranger vehicle that had 4WD was driving on the beach toward your location and their 4WD unit failed."


"What!!!!!" Said the wife..."How could that be????"

They again repeated the message, and asked if we could meet them in the parking lot.







** Note...I later did confirm through my Ranger contacts that this did indeed happen...it was a night of error upon error.
One where Murphy's Law was in effect....whatever could go wrong.....absolutely did....to the Nth degree...:bucktooth:

[DarkSkies]

The wife and husband were shivering at that point. The husband was a trooper, but you could tell it was taking a toll on his wife....the sideways rain, the wind, and the cold....all serving to beat up our defenses a bit...we were all shivering, and a little blue.......

So we set out for the parking lot...the one where Fishermens Trail begins...

The wife asked me how long it would take?
I said, carrying the 100lbs of gear they took off the boat,,,,about 1/2 hour....
I tried to keep their minds elsewhere during the long walk...otherwise known as the Death March....:)
Got them to talk about how they met...where they had sailed...etc....

We had to stop, rest, and reposition the Gear several times.,...all trying our part to take on an equal load.....
Finally, we got to the top of the trail, and the Observation Tower! :headbang:

[DarkSkies]

Once there, I told them it would be a matter of minutes before we could have salvation......

As the time passed quickly, it was very soon after that we saw there was a contingent of Sandy Hook Personnel waiting for us in the parking lot......
A Ranger vehicle....

An official Sandy Hook Ambulance (must be a new addition to the Motor Pool...was the first time I had ever seen it...looked brand new with all the accessories.)......

[DarkSkies]

I briefly poked my head inside the fully equipped ambulance...the EMT in there was getting dry blankets and checking vitals of the couple.....

He asked me if I needed help.....
I said: "Nope if you don't mind there's still some darkness left...I'm getting some dry clothes on, gotta get back fishin!" :fishing:

I quickly changed into a dry shirt and top...put my raingear and waders back on....
Poked my head in the Ambulance SUV one more time....gave the couple my phone #....

They thanked me sincerely and honorably....I was grateful for that but just told them to "pay it forward" and try to help someone else down the road....
As I had been helped many times before in dangerous situations, by kind souls who just appeared out of nowhere......:thumbsup:

[DarkSkies]

They said the SeaTow boat would be back by sunrise to try again to grab their sailboat....


They also said they had friends in the Highlands area..so I knew they would be ok...
(I found out later, that the Rangers and Personnel at Sandy Hook offered them a few hours of rest in a comfort station they have there...and they accepted.........)

Happy they would be ok, I went back to my fishing trip, that had gotten derailed off the tracks......:fishing:

[DarkSkies]

I quickly sucked down an energy drink, an apple, and some water. I made it back to the beach in record time and started fishing.....
It was a slow pick....but I did manage some bluefish.....small plugs crawled along very slowly seemed to be most effective.........

I was in a good mood,.....after a little detour, helping some lost souls......I was fishin again.....:bigeyes:

[DarkSkies]

Epilogue.....

As the dawn slowly crept into view, I kept scanning the water,,,wondering if Sea Tow was going to show up....
As I was getting ready to leave...way out in the channel, I saw what looked like one boat towing another......

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17260

[DarkSkies]

These pics are not that clear, my camera was maxed out in the zoom feature, going past regular zoom to digital zoom...
but if you look closely, you can see the sailboat, being towed.....

17261

17262

[DarkSkies]

This most closely shows sea tow....
Remember that the fog and mist from the previous night's rain still had not cleared....

17263

[DarkSkies]

The Happy Ending part....
I was informed by contacts within the Park Staff....that the couple took overnight shelter in the temporary shelter station set up for situations like this.....

In the morning, Sea Tow came, the boat was pulled off the point without any mishap, brought in to the Marina for minor repairs...

The sailing couple were soon back on track, to their home state of MA....
I wish them well, and am glad I could have a part in paying back, some of the emergency assistance that has been given to me over the years....:thumbsup: