When things go wrong

Cormac “ennagail24” and I planned to meet up by Beal Bar yesterday in the hope of getting his first tope, everything looked right for the mark so I thought “this is going to be easy fishing”,

Cormac launched from Tarbert while I had to pick up my boat from Kilkee and launch it from Carrigaholt, so I said I would go get a few mackerel from dunlicky cliff to save us searching the estuary for them, as usual I started out late , at the cliff I only had one mackerel to show for over an hour of fishing, a Dublin chap that I was chatting to earlier came over to chat, on hearing my plight he kindly gave me 3 of his 8 mackerel , Nice,

Hitched up the boat and launched at Carrigaholt’s tidal slip 45minutes before H/W so I had about an hour’s fishing and travelling time before I would have to be back at the slip before the tide dropped too low for me to retrieve the boat, so off I goes then half way between the slip and the outer pier I realised I had left my life jacket in the van but decided not to waste any more time and head out without it,

The boat seemed to be sluggish so I glanced back at the engine, it was only then I realised what was slowing me down, my floorboard which sits about six inches above the hull was under an inch of water , in all the rushing around I had forgotten to do up the bungs ,

I felt I wouldn’t make it back to the slip so I made a bee line for the outer pier and managed to tie up to the ladders then hang over the back of the boat to put the bungs in, had to use my mackerel bucket to bail out around a dustbin and a half of water, and all the time I was bailing out I was thinking what Cormac was calling me while he waited in the rain at the Kerry side of the estuary ,

So that little set back out of the way I again hit out to meet him and everything was going great till I got about 500yards from the tope hole, about 5 miles from Carrigaholt,

It was then I heard strange noises from the engine before it konked out leaving me with a 4hp AUX to get me back, so without hesitation I did a u turn and limped back to the slip before the full force of the outgoing tide kicked in and drove me out to “Loop Head”

I tried to contact Cormac via radio but had no joy, I’m happy to report that the boat is now safely parked up on dry land and that the engine started on the second or third pull when I decided to try was it out, New impellor needed,Like two trips ago

I tell you this little story to make you feel a bit better about things that went wrong in your time out and would like to hear of things that went wrong for you…I cant imagine you can beat this, “not being able to catch enough bait / no lifejacket / a sinking feeling and a dead engine 5 miles out,

I’m off now to eat my bait but would enjoy hearing your stories later, they might make me feel a little better about my 2 hours of hell

The things we do

And there was wondering where Mike was!!

It went bad for me too - I thought my VHF was wired up properly so had to radio, and I forgot to put cerclips back on my cables at teh engine so everytime I stopped, I had to re-attach them

I'm sure everyone will agree, glad tha Mann didn't create a new spot for wreck fishing!!

just in case you are stuck again (which I don't hope) having his details on your mobile might safe you:

Luke Aston
Rahona, Carrigaholt, nr. Kilrush, Co. Clare, Ireland

Phone 00353 (0)65 9058209
or direct to skipper 00353 (0)87 6367544

better to be prepared

I will keep that too if you don't mind. Im sure Luke would rather a phone call than knowing someone was in trouble out there

Absolutely, Luke is one of the most experienced skippers I know around Loop Head, have been out with him umpteen times with friends (check the boat reports) and Mary makes lovely scones

im glad everything was alright but it could have been different. firstly i cant understand how you would go out with no lifejacket with you its the number one rule.even if the boat had sank you still would have had the jacket as back up .thank the gods you got back safely

Sound lads and thanks,

The thing is Twinkle, when I have a trip / mission like this in my head I very rarely manage a good nights sleep before it, which was the case yet again on this trip, Think I slept from around 6am till 8am on the day then had a lot of running around to do which delayed me getting to the coast, so my head wasn’t with it to say the least,

I couldn’t go back for the life jacket so I had an Imax floatation suit in the cabin, I put the leggings on just before I seen the water on the deck, needless to say I had the jacket on in a flash,

So I did have some sort of protection on board, also made sure that my life ring thingy was within reach should the worst happen, I think I should start to worry about things a little more rather then get a buzz when things are looking iffy,

2 times that day things could have got out of my control, I reckon if I was the type to get in a flap when things go wrong I would be still out there,

For instance when the main engine died, I knew any 4hp engine wouldn’t have pushed my boat against the flow in the Estuary and all I have is this little old 4hp Johnson, I checked on Google earth and found I was nearer to 7miles out rather then the 5 miles that I mentioned,

Now if I had flapped and tried to push this little engine to its limit I reckon this too would have gave up the fight, so I just strolled along and hoped for the best thinking to myself what’s going to go wrong next

In a way I think I was lucky that the engine gave up when it did because I had planned to fish for an hour or so and by that time the outgoing tide would have built up a little speed that would have been way too much for the 4hp to get me home,
but I believe it would be good enough to keep me out from the rocks and danger while I contemplated whether I should admit defeat or should I try make my way across the flow to the Clare side while the water pushed me out, thinking about it now I reckon I could have made it to Kilbaha if I could have kept the boat at an angle to the tide for the 11 or so miles,

Maybe not, so I’m happy I didn’t have to decide on the day

Anyone fancy a trip out with me after reading this

i have to do a check by check count when im heading out to the boat. the amount of times we have arrived on the quay and discovered i forgot the keys. after the 3 rd time davebouy stands at the van and runs through the list now to make sure i have everything but i have about 10 lifejackets of various styles on board all the time. i have a lifebouy. and a 6 man liferaft hope i never need any of them. but you cant take chances.we sometimes get complacent.and this is when tragedy strikes. the comedy of errors. or horrors you listed above could have had a serious outcome i thank god it dident.you will learn after a good shock like that to double check everything before you head out. and slow down and relax after all your sport is not supposed to stress you out , or kill you

. slow down and relax

My mate said if i chilled out a little more i would go into a Come

after all your sport is not supposed to stress you out , or kill you

I know what your saying, But try telling that to the Chap that was waitng on the other side of the Estuary for his first Tope and fresh bait,

These things in life are sent to try us I'm really surprised not to see anyone else popping in to tell of things that happened them, maybe there scared of getting a slagging,

Looking back on it I find it amusing to say the least, but one thing I’m happy about is that nobody was there to give me advice on what to do next, I have one friend that would have flapped at the first sign of danger and his fear is very contagious,

To me he would have been more of a worry than the fact that I was sinking, I had him with me last year on the Estuary when I had to put the boat into reverse while manoeuvring around an obstacle, he seen a small wave splash water into the splash tray and lost it, he started to tell me the boat was taking on water and wasn’t seaworthy

This coming from a man that never been out in anything more than slight winds on the river shannon in limerick tickled me, but it later played on my mind, so much so that for the next 5 or so trips out I kept looking back at the engine area,

Then one day there was a force 4 to 6 blowing and I took the boat out and gave it some stick, belting into the waves and enjoying every minute of it, it was one of the scariest fairground rides of my life but I had to find out if the boat could handle it,

Since then I have been caught out when the weather turned sour and didn’t have a worry in the world because I knew what the boat is capable of and I cant wait to take him out again ,

But as I say fear is catching and this guy don’t mind passing it on,

scary stuff mann, personnally im reluctant to go out in a boat unless i have
at least 10 ton of solid timber under me , best to call the coast guard
on the vhf if you're sinking again

this season has been reported as the best in recent memory for Shannon tope and
next weekend should be the peak for them, so we will be fishing
there on the Clare Dragoon charter boat, if you see us come and
say hello, we might even give you a few fresh macs

i have about 10 lifejackets of various styles on board all the time. I have a lifebouy. and a 6 man liferaft hope i never need any of them. but you cant take chances.

Good man Twinkle. I sometimes get laughed at over my obsession with safety gear, but three lads I used to know in my commercial fishing days are long dead because they thought they didnt need to bother. Personally I always put on a floatation vest and the lifejacket on the slip before I go near the water at all.

And yes, the Check List prevents a lot of potential disasters.

Mann, that was a rough day, I'm really glad you're OK.

im reluctant to go out in a boat unless i have
at least 10 ton of solid timber under me ,

That wood take all the fun out of it

this season has been reported as the best in recent memory for Shannon tope and
next weekend should be the peak for them, so we will be fishing
there on the Clare Dragoon charter boat, if you see us come and
say hello, we might even give you a few fresh macs

I havent had time yet to sort my impeller, but if your trip is still on you might let me know if there is room for one more on his boat as i would like to see the tactics you all use, If not this time than maybe you could let me know when your all out next and i will book a seat , it would be nice to let someone else worry about the things that can go wrong for a change



[quote="Hugo


And yes, the Check List prevents a lot of potential disasters.

How very true,

Mann, that was a rough day, I'm really glad you're OK.[/quote]



I said earlier that I went out in a force 5 to 6 to see if the boat could handle a bit of rough,

I feel I should elaborate on that statement, my boat was moored in Kilkee bay so what I did was to go out to by gorges head and push out as far as I could till it looked kinda suicidal then I would turn back in then do it all again, I would say I hit out about 5 times before I was happy with the little boats reactions to the belly flops,
After the 2nd or 3rd trip out the only thing that was a worry was that the bangs as I belly flopped might break the boats back, this boat I have is a 16.5ft cabin cruiser and I’m not saying its built for this type of messing around / foolishness, but I had to check it out,

There’s a great buzz to be had when you look down to see nothing under the boat but air, its then you need to take a deep breath before the flop, then to watch the nose dig into the oncoming wave and slowly climb up it is amazing to watch,

I found at the point when the tip of the nose was just covered with water as it makes the climb up the next wave to be the best part, it felt like time was standing still as it cut threw the water ,

I tried to film it but it just didn’t look right on video,

buy yourself a jetski

Mann oh Mann... I'd be less worried about about breaking the back than about getting swamped by one the Big Ones that come along every so often. When you're standing past your knees in water and the boat wont answer the helm, the fun goes out of it big time, believe me.

buy yourself a jetski

I very nearly did, my friends brother invited us out to have a go on his new jet ski on lochderg, when we got there I seen they would only go out a little way then turn back, they looked like people learning how to ride a pushbike,
The owner said to me that he wanted to see what it could do but everyone was too nervous of it, so I got suited up and gave it stick and as I was coming back to shore I seen the owner waving so I thought I was pushing it too far, when I got back in he said he was trying to tell me to carry on and have a good burn on it so I did,

Now while I really enjoyed it at the time it actually put me off of getting one, but I did give him the confidence to push it to the limit and he has now invested in one of the most powerful ski’s around, it’s a monster of a thing and I cant wait for a bladder off of it,

But as for buying one for myself NO, I couldn’t find room on it for my tackle

jaysus mann, what a nightmare . just glad you made it back in (afloat) to tell the cautionary tale . that's one of the things that puts me off getting a boat. everyone i know who has one is always telling me horror story's about things needing constantly sorted to keep them 100%

if you go about boating in a casual way as some do, yes you will get horror stories but if you stick to basic rules ie weather
small craft warnings ,lifejackets, auxillery engine,spare battery,and there is no better place to be out fishing on your own boat

Hi Al,

While it all sounds scary if you keep your head about you things will work out, if I was as worried about things that could go wrong in life as some do I probably wouldn’t get out of bed

My problem was not having enough sleep to think straight while getting things sorted, as I said it was a mad rush from the start, and I didn’t want to let a mate done, as they say “the more hurry the less speed”

Al I reckon the boat fishing is something else especially when you do it from your own boat, its so tranquil being out there and finding new places that you will never see from the shore and I would advise anyone to try it,

I told this story to a few of my boating friends here in limerick and the story’s they told me about they’re mishaps made mine sound like a walk in the park,

They told of boats being holed by pallets and logs floating just under the surface and engines being ripped off by dead animals when the boat goes over them,
I heard many a story that really does get you thinking of just what could happen while out,

Most times I’m out I see people going flat out and just chatting to the person next to them while giving the odd quick glance ahead to make sure they are heading in the right direction, not taking a blind bit of notice to what could be in the water a few yards ahead of them

When I have someone in the boat with me they’re job is to watch ahead in case I miss something floating ahead of us,

If you do get a boat and your bringing anyone out you should tell them of the hazards that might ruin your day,

I’m still amazed that none of the lads on here aint told of things that went wrong on they’re trips out, I been told they wont in case they get a slagging

Everyone wants to be known as a squeaky clean skipper, but me I would rather put people wise and scare them enough to watch out for things in advance,

[color=#408000]Keep a cool head and give yourself plenty of time for your trip out.


[/color]

PS, Be sure to put the bungs back in

Heres a memorable outing in the early days......

Edit postReport this postReply with quoteby petekd on Mon May 29, 2006 5:12 pm
IP:
Ya, good crack alright, some nice fish there lads. I should have made the trip again on Sunday but a few too many pints in Letterkenny on Saturday night put paid to all thoughts of that Im afraid! After what happened to us aboard Rapala on Saturday, I am convinced there is no problem that we cannot surmount....

Started off badly after sleeping in and not making it to the slip at Buncrana until 10.30 to be greeted with lots of empty trailers and no sign of anyone. We got set up anyway and prepared to launch in somewhat blustery conditions so once backed in was going to have to be a fairly speedy exit from the slip with waves washing the back of the boat. Buddy was doing the driving and I was on board, as soon as boat floated up away I went to perform the loop around the pier and await Kearys return. I had just left the slip and was performing a holding circle in the strong wind whilst waiting for him to park up when all of a sudden I noticed the level of water in the back of the boat caused from waves on launch instead of dropping with the bilge pump in operation was in fact rising.......the 3 bungs from the hull were in the glove box of the jeep.... Cue one very panicked phone call followed by a speedy reverse and me virtually hammering the boat back onto the trailer to get the hell back out! (come on lads, I'm sure we've all done it...havent we....)

After draining off undeterminable gallons of water, take 2 went relatively smoothly and we were on our way to join the rest of the group. Dropped anchor close to Clarion and set up the gear, discovering then that 2 rods and reels were still in the jeep . Keary in his own style of fishing proceeded to hang his socks (soaked from the earlier speedy retrieve..) off the frame at the back of the boat and esconce himself in the cabin with the coffee and the sandwiches leaving the 2 rods in my hands. Ill have to phrase this carefully so as not to create the wrong impression but it was "frantic (ooer...) doggy action" all the way for Rapala. Not a sniff of another fish, just a constant stream of LSDs coming to the side of the boat including 2 on one single hook trace, bottom fish on the hook, a foot above it was another with the wire trace I was using passed through its mouth...stupid bugger, all he had to do was let go After several hours of this, staring jealously at Clarion and how steady and comfortable she looked, with deteriorating weather making life a tad uncomfortable in a 15 footer the decision was taken to head back to shore.

So, off we went, back to Buncrana and pulled in at the side of the pier to let the trailerman off. He shinned up the ladder without incident so I pulled away from pier wall to get in position for retrieve. Poor sod after climbing up there realised he had left the keys on board and called to me to throw them up to him....you can see whats coming.... swung back around and gave the bunch of keys, (car, shop, house etc) an almighty chuck onto the pier. I have been waking up in cold sweats since over what happened next, if I close my eyes I can see it in slo mo. Keys performed a lovely arc up and appeared to be landing well on top of the pier until at the peak of said arc a huge gust of wind caught them and sent them flying back over my head into 10 feet of muddy choppy sea....

Stopped boat immediately and pulled back in to the pier wall, all we could do was stare at each other in silence for several minutes with the occasional glance in the general direction of where the keys had gone. Tied boat up to a set of tyres and spent a half hour trying to explain my predicament to a succession of unhelpful people over the phone, the AA, the Hyundai dealer etc....situation being me in Donegal stuck on a boat with no way of getting boat out of water in deteriorating conditions with spare set of keys in Cork.....joy.....! Dont think any of them believed me to be honest so it was down to plan b.

Now, how many of you have mates or partners who stare incredulously at the amount of gear you take each time your on a trip? You explain away the beta box full of stuff for an afternoons scratching around with a shrug and smile and a "sure you never know.." Well, I sat down and went through the beta box, set up the spinning rod (which shouldnt have been on the boat in the first place, especially after I put my foot on it and broke the tip earlier in the day) and manufactured myself a rig (picture to follow) composed of a 2 hook spreader bar (which i never use), 3 short lengths of nylon with 3 barrel leads(which i never use) sliding on to 3 medium sized treble hooks (which i never use) clipped a 3oz flat sided lead (which i never use ) to the middle of the contraption and started casting it out, more in hope than expectation it has to be said and because if I hadnt been trying to do something constructive I would have gone off the head totally. First cast pulled out one very surprised crab but all that followed was weed.

After 30 minutes or so of this and much racking of brains to figure a way out of situation George and Graeme arrived in Georges Dory. Cue much chuckling at our sorry state witha kind offer of his jeep to pull our boat out, (thanks for that) I was having a serious case of the "just one last cast" syndrome when all of a sudden, the line went heavy....it couldnt be, it just couldnt possibly....no way.....has to be another crab, the catch of the day, the most welcome sight Ive seen (well until that first pint on Saturday night) came shining, jangling and glistening to the surface......it had to be seen to be believed. Perfectly hooked through one of the rings was one set of keys.

High fives, whooping and roaring all round. Unbelievable. All this time, 2 hours or so at that stage, wasted had meant that unfortunately we were now faced with another problem, the weather had deteriorated to the extent that using the exposed slip at Buncrana wasnt even an option, howling winds and a nasty sea was seeing waves breaking over the slip..... George advised us to head to fahan and retrieve there so Keary was despatched (with keys zipped into his pocket) to drive jeep to fahan and I would take the boat up. George led and I followed and a more horrible little journey I never want to take in that little boat. Call me a lilly livered part time amateur but I thought the sea conditions were nothing short of atrocious with high winds whipping them into a horrible white horsed chop which Rapalas Cathedral hull was having serious difficulty dealing with at any kind of speed above the 8 knot mark. One very white knuckled trip later with frayed nerves and aching shoulders (from holding on!) and we arrived in Fahan Marina. I had to perform a holding circle in the marina as the wind was just caching Rapala like a sail and sending her away until we figured out where the slip was and got the jeep backed down. The wind blowing heavily from right to left made life very awkward when it came to retrieving (thank god for the guiding on bars) and there were several aborted attempts before we eventually got out of the water. I can honestly say I was never as glad to get off a boat as I was on Saturday. The day seemed to throw just about everything it could at us (apart from something other than LSDs) but I have to say, fun and exhilarating it was if not a little scary at times.

Looking forward to getting out up there again, hopefully Lesley Ellen will be ready though and we wont have to tow Rapala up from Cork again. Cheers lads for organising it, and fair dues on the 9 tope caught. Some great pics there lads. Hoping things go a little smoother the next time

Now that’s what I wanted to see, I felt like I was there while reading it,

Thanks for finding this "petekd" a very enjoyable read.