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Mingo
 
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Last Login: 2/5/2009 9:01:55 AM
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Today started out great. We let the rain pass this morning and decided that we would take our children out to catch a few fish. The rest of the day, my wife and I watched the storms come over pensacola, it was incredibly beautiful and hot 8 miles off shore. All of the sudden I felt a cold burst of wind....I saw the dark, western clouds and told my wife to secure everything while I pulled the anchor, I decided to head due north for the beach, as we got closer the wind started howling and the clouds became ominous. The rain began and the wind picked up more and more and more. I sent my wife and children into the cuddy, the wind was blowing so hard that the hatch blew open, my son finally secured the hatch and then all hell broke loose. I have absolutely never been that scared in my life. 6ft seas were breaking over the boat, I was trying to keep the bow of the boat into the waves, but the rain and wind were so bad that I could not see anything, I remember looking at the compass to see north, the beach was not in sight, nothing except the most absolute furious rain, wind and seas I have ever been in. I tried using my radio to all the coast gaurd to let them know my last known position, so if we went down, they woud at least no where to look...I know this sounds dramatic, but I am telling you there are not enough words to describe it what we went through. I never got a response from the coast gaurd. I don't know why??? Anyway, the storm finally eased and we made it to the site of the beach and followed the beach back to the pass. Everyone is safe and ready to go back; however, my wife says she will not go out fishing unless we get a new radio and an "epirb" (sp?) On a positive note, I now get weather radar and a new radio...Since this is the offshore report: we caught 4 snapper and 1 trigger, and one hell of a ride . I also want to tell my 8 year old daughter and 11 year old son how fantastically proud I am of the way they conducted themselves in such a bad situation, and to my wife, I have never heard you talk like that to me LOL. I can laugh now, it wasn't funny then!
James Martin
26 ft Century
"Graymack"
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White Marlin
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| ahaha... all in all it sounds like a good trip but a scary time...
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Trigger
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Last Login: 3/6/2010 1:59:13 PM
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| Glad ya'll made it back safe and sound!
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Ruby Red Lip
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glad you made it in,when that cold wind hits you out there you know its comin...
adamroll tide
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Snapper
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Last Login: 3/15/2010 9:12:27 PM
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| Glad you and your family made it in safe. Things could have really went different.
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Sailfish
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Last Login: 3/3/2010 3:47:42 PM
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| Been there done that. Glad you made it back. \ I spent 17 of the 20 years of my navy life on a ships and let me tell you......... The me tell you, the most scared I have ever been was on the GOM in my boat. Don't even want to think about it. The 45' seas going around the cape in a 600' ship was not SHIT compared to the 6' seas on my 25' boat. 
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Grouper
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Ruby Red Lip
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| What size boat were you in? Glad it worked out for you. West Marine has the GPS integrated EPIRBs on sale for $899. From my sailing days I always remember that "the boat can take more than the man".
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Grouper
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| Congrats James, You did everything correctly and saved your family. I do agree with your wife, you should have an EPIRB and a functional VHR radio. The next time you feel that cold air on the back of your neck while in the Gulf, you will know what's coming. Also, good words for your wife and kids, they did what you told them and did not panic. They will be back for more fishin' fun. Tom, 60+ years of fishing, boating and sailing
Tom
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Snapper
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Yeah, if you feel the cold wind its too late. The cold air is actually outflow from the thunderstorm collapsing, so you are feeling the air from about 30-50 thousand feet up as it is dropping fast. Usually the outflow only lasts for 15-25 minutes and then conditions go back to the way they were before it started. Sometimes you can see the outflow boundry on the radar and you can also see them coming at you a good distance out as well with the old eyeball.
Steve Adams
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Sailfish
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James, Time for a BIGGER boat!!!
(FOR SALE) 20' ProLine Walkaround cuddy.
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Grouper
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Last Login: 3/3/2010 8:35:21 PM
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| I know these things come on you fast but did you have the marine weather on before the storm? My radio has a shrill piercing warning when there are Mariner warnings on channel 2. I don't have a cuddy style boat so there is noway to get any kind of protection in something like you experienced. I have often wondered if one of those sea anchors like the big boats use would be of any help in that kind of storm.
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Mingo
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Last Login: 2/5/2009 9:01:55 AM
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| pinksnappercatcher: my wife says a bigger boat is definitely on the horizon for next season, with weather radar! wrighttackle: I do have a weather radio; however, it was so beautiful out there that I did not think about turning it on. I will dang sure have it on next time I go out, I don't care how pretty it is. I also have a VHF radio, but I could not reach anyone. I thought for about 1/2 second throwing the anchor, but I was afraid we would take on so much water the boat would sink. It wasn't just splashing over us the waves were breaking over my 26 ft boat. I am still in amazed how fast it came up! A buddy of mine asked me about looking at my GPS to see where I was...it was so bad, all I was trying to see was which direction to keep the bow of the boat in. Thanks to everyone for there replies and well wishes. What a great forum with fantastic people.
James Martin
26 ft Century
"Graymack"
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Mingo
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Last Login: 2/5/2009 9:01:55 AM
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weatherman: You're correct. The worst part lasted about 35 minutes, but it sure felt like 3 hours. Thanks
James Martin
26 ft Century
"Graymack"
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Sailfish
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Trigger
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| Oil? check!!!!! Weather radar? check!!!!! VHF working prop.? check!!!!! Clean pair of shorts? Damn!!!!!!!!! Ha! Glad ya'll made it back safe, been there done it, all it takes is one good time to get caught in a storm and the eyes stay peeled everytime you go out from that time on, atleast mine do. When I was in college we got caught one time in a 16 cape horn about 12-15 miles out and was running from colliding storms every which way but loose, and these storms were spitting out spouts it seemed like in every direction, it was very scary for me, especially since that was about my 2 or 3 time ever going in the gulf, but I'll never forget the feeling I had that day in my gut. Also one time with the kids on my father in laws pontoon boat, it got nasty in the bay. Waves were so strong it pummelled, and knocked the sides of the boat off, and seperated one side of the deck from the pontoons, kids were 4 years old and scared out of their wits.
Drew T.
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Ruby Red Lip
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Yesterday, my wife Brenda and I went fishing in the Gulf of Mexico. The forecast was good with low seas and just scattered thunderstorms. This forecast is about as good as it gets in Florida in the summertime. However, we ran from one thunderstorm in the morning, outracing it. Then we stayed just five miles off the beach and did well catching red snapper and king mackerel. In the late afternoon, we headed in and a massive thunderstorm came at us from the north. Massive it was; it extended a great distance in either direction, and it looked like our pass was right in the middle. I elected to head to the Pensacola Pass as the next passes were 35 miles in either direction. This storm turned out to be the worst of its kind, with winds exceeding 60 mph, and almost instantly turning the seas into mayhem. We live on the water, and so can enjoy watching such storms from the safety of our living room, but it is a different matter in the open seas of the Gulf. The sky was dark gray, and cold, cold rain came at us horizontally, and seas were whipped to a froth. It was frightening. The boat, however, behaved admirably. I kept up speed to keep it on plane at 15 knots and to get through it as fast as possible. Visibility was poor, and we depended on radar and the GPS chart to navigate. The boat cut through the waves like a champ, and these waves became very steep and very tightly packed. Our boat cut through these waves and the longer we ran, the better we felt. When we finally got near the beach, the lee shore, the waves subsided. We were thankful we got there but thankful also for our boat. When we drove from the marina, we noticed a sail boat with ripped sails, and a turned-over park bench and a turned-over potted tree. It was a heck of a storm. Alan
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