reefcreature

got to navy point ramp shortly before 7am Saturday. put the boat in the water and let it warm up while Tom(Hayworthfloors.com) and a friend of his Brandon to arrive. they got there a short time later and we got the boat loaded and off we went. we really didn't have any spots we were going to because we wanted to see what the seas were like. once out of the pass the seas were a little rougher than we wanted but was still do-able and decided to stay closer to shore.

first stop was paradise hole. Tom has never dove there and i have shot some nice size snapper there before. once on site brandon was hooked up on a snapper before we even got the anchor set. brandon was along for fishing not diving which was fine by me. the bottom finder was lit up with fish so we geared up and down we go. vis was not to good at top and even worse on bottom around 4 foot if that. after a few minutes we decided to surface empty handed. my bottom time was 15 minutes, max depth of 105

with the seas still rough we decided to hit the Meek liberty ship. we were the only boat on site when we got there. set the anchor suited up and down we go. vis on bottom was far better than the first dive around 25ish i would say. but the fish were all under except for a few that would not let you get close enough. after a 30 minute bottom time up i go, did the safety stop and seen Tom had already got in the boat. when i got in theboat we noticed a nasty looking storm coming in fairly quick.

now this is where things start turning against us because neither tom nor i removed the anchor from the wreck that it was hung in. after a few minutes of trying to play it out of its hang up we forced it out with the boat. by this time the storm was getting closer and the waves were gettin much bigger. oh yea we are in my 20' pursuit. heading back to the pass was a bit more intimidating because it was lightning some and the seas were getting rougher. keep in mind we are loaded down with dive gear, a large cooler full of ice and drinks about 40-50 gallons of fuel and fish that Brandon caught made my old boat very sluggish but still very manageable.

making headway to the pass and just under a 1/2 mile from shore everything is doing good when all of a sudden there is bang and the motor revs up real high. i throw it in neutral and the motor idles fine. put it back in gear, nothing. the prop is not spinning in either direction. now we are in deep do-do.Tom throws the anchor in while i call tow boat us. the anchor will not set and we aredrifting towards shore at a fairly good pace. i grab the stern anchor and throw it off the front but it is too small to do any good. only good thing was the anchors were keeping the bow pointed into the waves. i call the coast guard to inform them of our predictiment. by now we have entered the surf zone with 4 foot waves crashing on us and in moments we were on the beach.we jump out trying to keep the bow pointed into the waves but were not able too due to the rough surf.

we are all fine but maybe my pride is hurt a little. my boat did fine saturday sitting on the beach as we were trying to get it off but the waves were keeping from letting us do it. i called my wife to come get me while i tie the boat down and remove the electronics and gear for its stay overnight on the beach. got a boat lined up and bought 300 feet of rope to help get it off the beach the next morning at high tide. but it wasn't meant to be. i'll let the pics tell the rest. i did manage to get it home sunday night about 10:30 thanks to my step kids and there friends



sunday morning and afternoon

no woryz

Wendell, I am sorry for your trouble but I am glad everyone made it out okay....It could have endedalot worse than it did....I will call you tomorrow to fill you in on the details about the GB hwy mission and saturdays request for the unit by the SO.....

Clint

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Dive Commander
Escambia Search and Rescue
Volunteers Always Needed

mpmorr

Thank God you guys made it back, that is all that really matters.Like the saying goes "any landing you can walk away from is a good landing" God bless you guys and he was most definitely watching over you, could have been real bad.

Jhoe

Glad to hear you got your boat, and most importantly yourself back, ok and safe. If the trip from hell ends up with all being well and a good story, just be glad someone is looking out for you. you'll definitely be laughing about this horrible experience in a couple years

Orion45

Glad you guys are all OK. What happened to the prop? Did you hit the sandbar and spin the hub?

Corpsman

That really bites. How are you going to retrieve your boat? I dont know about towboat us, but seatow does not cover "hard aground" I'm really sorry that happened to you guys. Glad everyone is safe.

tigerbait

Thank goodness everyone is OK. It does sound like you spun the hub.

MSYellowfin

Man o man, what a story!! Reality is if you boat long enough these things will happen. sounds like you played it correctly. So I can't tell from the pics, how did story end with boat?



MScontender

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MSyellowfin
2008 54C Viking "Jacquelyn"
2010 36 Yellowfin "Forgiven"
2010 24 Hurricane Deck Boat
2001 Contender 25 (sold)

Brandy

Glad all are ok.

reefcreature

i did get the boat home late sunday night. once i got it off the beach, towboat us towed it back in to macs marina where they have a fork lift to lifted it out of the water so it could drain.

i didn't hit a sandbar but broke the drive shaft going to the foot(at least that what is sounds like). i have been boating most of my 47 years and this is the first time i have had any serious problems so i guess that isn't too bad. i knew i should have stayed in bed with the wife