safety and learning

Dont know that this is the best forum, bit of fishing disaster, bit of a sailing/pedaling disaster...so its more of a safety issue with some fish stories thrown in. Admin can/will redirect as necessary


Yesterday....

.....I am underwater looking at my rod leash leading down into the depths at the end of the leash I can still make out the rod, everythings as tight as a drum, beyond the rod is the leader at the end of that the lure on the lure 2 triples and attached to them is a very pissed off 3kg blackfin barracuda with a gaff stuck through it....everything in a dead straight TIGHT line running downwards at 45 deg

leash
rod
line
leader
fish and gaff

My fish grabber, knife and pliers almost lost to view describing lazy downward spirals into the murk, unlike the rod they werent secured to the boat.....This is my first capsize, the boat righted OK, I even got me and my fish and the gaff onboard intact (not a good idea to end up in the water with a fish in distress amidst other barracuda!)

Lesson:

Tie everything down....everything, overlook nothing. If your going to go fishing expect the worst, anything that can go wrong will go wrong so be prepared.

.....Five days ago I bought a heavy duty rod and trolling reel (to replace one I had FORGOTTEN to leash and which got flipped overboard by the mainsheet). My fishing 'mentor', Stefan, was disgusted with me...far too big no sport catching smaller fish on that. I was suitably chastised, the classic mistake of a neophite angler...overkill. I went quite a way offshore with a No 11 red and white Rapalla and in a strong channel between two islands got a strike and it really was a strike...My first big tow...wind, current and fish all heading OUT, sometimes I was pedalling really hard to keep up (I had furled the sail as soon as the fish struck) it was all VERY VERY exciting!

With a thick rod and strong reel the fight lasted about 20 minutes and I was able to keep the fish away from the bottom (I think this would have been impossible with my lighter tackle) which it headed for after a longish kayak-towing run. It ended up being a small shark (app 1 meter body) Now if I used the lighter rod i think things would have unravelled faster, the line would have parted before I got to see what it was on the end of it and I would have come home earlier with the idea of a lost Giant Trevally or king mackerel...far more valuable/edible/exciting than the reality....as it was the shark got away just before I managed to gaff him, did a last run, tore of meters more line before biting thru the leader 5 minutes later. Anyway it would have been stupid to gaff him, for what???...eating?...he's not going to taste that great...besides he's going to be dangerous to land with my limited experience. All that went by the board in the excitement of the 'chase' I would have tried and I'm told if i was lucky at best the gaff would have probably been taken off me!

So done with the fishing story....I check my surroundings...I am way away from the islands, thats suprises me (it shouldnt!), the wind has dropped right off...within an hour I have pedalled back to the channel and now in the 3rd hour of an ebb tide heading towards springs I am pumping hard just to get between the islands so I can get back to shore on the mainland....chain cable breaks, now on one flipper very sloppy no wind at all in a fully rigged A1. i am now no longer 'concerned' i am now alarmed, its sunset in the tropics with another channel crossing between the islands and a headland. I really set myself up and it was so avoidable. So, mostly we all get back somehow or other. I got back in the dark knackered and shook up...for what???...theres a spare drive at the house, I just never bothered to take it with me as a backup.

Lesson:

Backup everything possible.

Final lesson:

LEARN...Will I, when I I have replaced the cable (replace the lot if ones gone) put that spare drive into the boat or will I say to myself...Oh, youve just replaced the cables, they wont give out on you soon??????

so is this where we say it was still better than a day in the office?

How did you capsize the AI?

in adventure mode only, gaffing aformentioned fish I overeached and at the same time got a good broadside slap from the chop and over she went...couldnt believe i had done it...beautiful view of the rod and fish all underwater, guess I had better go get the reel taken apart and cleaned.

As I learned in Naval Special Warfare!!! 2 is 1 and 1 is none. thats is to say,,,,2 of your gear is only counted as 1, and if you've got 1 of something,,well, that counts for/should be considered,,,,none.
2 of all critical gear, absolutely right. If not stay on the beach or small ponds.[img][/img]

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http://s909.photobucket.com/albums/ac294/gsammy925/

Looks like you like your toys sam with the gear on your Hobie and the 300zx in the background. Had a twin turbo model some years back and it was a real beast.

A good read this end Phillip and a great adventure to remember from your perspective....Pirate

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Master of the galleon 'Pirates Lot'

Yup got that right on the toys. finally got to a point where i can spend money on what I want. I earned it, saved it and now I wanna play with it. All those days in the Navy, with no play, waiting for my turn. Well its MY TURN, lol. You missed that Pig of a boat though, 29ft center console, SeaSled, inverted V, 266gals with twin counter 225's that you can barely pour the gas in fast enough. Not paying that anymore, "Go Hobie baby".

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http://s909.photobucket.com/albums/ac294/gsammy925/

Never heard of 'two is one and one is none' sounds like an excellent one to go by...sort of thing one wants printed on a T Shirt.

Hi Pirate, yeap...from my perspective......an adventure.....dont feel good about leaving lures in fish though...sometimes it helps to take a fish eye view of things, your there having breakfast by the sea with your mates when suddenly somethings stuck in your throat, next thing you know your being dragged down the beach by your gullet and into/under the sea......

Good story, Philip. Yes, when you capsize, it happens real fast (you do have time to think "I can't believe this is happening," but that does not change the outcome!)

Keith

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2015 AI 2, 2014 Tandem

"Any intelligent fool can make things bigger and more complex ... It takes a touch of genius and a lot of courage to move in the opposite direction." A. Einstein

"Less is more" Anon