This is a tale of two trips.
Russell Paul, Cameron Paul and I head out. 0% chance of rain, so I’m feeling pretty
confident. We proceed to Oar Reef where
we have had success trolling in the past.
This reef is near K Tower about 30 miles from our marina. I really want to get out to Bryon’s
Reef, but it is another 20 miles from Oar Reef and the wind is strong enough to
make me chicken out. Tropical Storm
Debby has just passed through two days ago and we are still getting the
tail-end of her winds. Maybe next
time. I need a bigger boat.
Russell has purchased two 20-year-old RAPALA lures. These things are antiques, but he wants to
try them instead of our normal Stretch 20 and 30’s. “Fine bro”, although I have my doubts.
We start trolling and it isn’t long before something of decent
size hits the Rapala. The fish are
probably saying, “Hey, what the hell is that?
We ain’t seen one of them before!” That last line is funnier if you say it with a
southern accent. Russell starts reeling.
He gets it almost to the boat. It is silver, big and round. It definitely isn’t a
King. We’re not sure what it is, but we
are excited to get it on the boat. I
grab the gaff. Poof – fish disappears
just as Russell gets it close to the surface.
The hooks on the Rapala lure bent and the fish got off. Damn. That
was a good-sized fish. I don’t think the
Rapalas were designed for a fish that large.
Whatever. We start trolling
again. It isn’t long before we get
another fish - Cameron’s side of the boat this time. Cameron fights him for a little while and gets
him next to the boat. I gaff him. Hey – fish in the boat! A bonita!
Here he is:
Nice job Cameron. He
is already out-fishing his Uncle Russell.
We spend a few more hours trolling, but we don’t catch
anything. Due to Tropical Storm Debby,
the water is muddy, filled with seaweed, and fresh water. I’m surprised any fish are here. We bottom fish for a little while near K
Tower. Cameron catches a few rock
bass. Russell and I catch nothing. The day is getting late, so we decide to head
in. We return to the dock around 2:30
p.m., clean the fish, wash off the boat, and Russell heads home.
But this is a tale of two
trips, and if you are still reading, this is where it gets interesting:
Terri and Delaney are in Carrabelle waiting for us. It is our goal to take the boat from Panacea
to Carrabelle; join them; and boat all weekend heading towards Apalachicola. Carrabelle (about 35 miles) really isn’t that
long of a trip and is about equivalent to heading out to K Tower. No problem!
Cameron and I head back out about 3:30 p.m. We tell Rock Landing Marina to not expect us
again until Sunday. As we exit the
channel, we notice that the SW wind has picked up significantly, and we are
navigating it head-on. Under good
conditions, I typically run about 35 MPH, but I can only go about 15 MPH in
these waves and this persistent wind. The waves are easily 2-4 feet now, but they
are “different” than what I am used to. They
have an angry look to them. The ride is uncomfortable as we slam into
them. But hey, we tough it out. An hour later, we approach Buoy 26 (still 3
miles from it) which is about 7 miles off the coast. We have
reduced speed to 8 MPH – just slightly faster than trolling speed. The 26
buoy marks the SW point of Ochlocknee Shoal.
The Shoal is very shallow. The waves
are so bad at this point that I decide to take my chances and cut across the shoal instead of going
around it. Yes, this is a risk in that
the shoal is very shallow, but the idea of heading 7 miles offshore in these angry
waves is a little scary. So - we head
across the Shoal. I tell Cameron, “If
we get to 3 feet, we need to turn around.”
He helps me keep a close eye on the depth finder. 8 ft, 7 ft, 6 ft, 5 ft, 3 ft, 2 ft. That’s it, we are done. 4-6 ft waves are slamming into us and we are
only in 2 feet of water! I have navigated
the boat in bigger waves out here, but I guess because of the recent Tropical
Storm, the best way I can describe them is, like I said, “angry”. They aren’t rolling, which is what I am used to.
There are no “gaps” between them and the white-caps aren’t short, but
appear for 8-10 seconds like those crashing on the beach. The wave peaks are crashing over the bow and actually
hitting the T-Top. Cameron and I have
our life jackets on. We are soaked to
the bone. Remember, we have been fishing
all day. The SW wind is easily 20 MPH with gusts.
We’re acting tough, but we are exhausted. Honestly, we are also both a little scared.
You know those tingles you get when you know you are
somewhere bad you really shouldn’t be?
Every inch of your body says, “Get out”.
I immediately take a sharp left away from land, towards the buoy, and
towards open water. I pray we don’t go
aground – the tide is going out – not in.
If we get stuck, we are here for 6-8 hours, in the dark, because not
even Sea Tow can get onto this shoal. Everyone
knows that I want a bigger boat and a deep-V hull, but at this exact moment, because
I cut the shoal, I am thanking God that I have a Bay boat and that it only
drafts 13 inches. I have the motor
trimmed all the way up.
We make it past the shoal and back into 18 feet of water. Whew! One disaster avoided. Man,
these waves are intense! I still have
the tingles because we are still getting the shit beat out of us. I enter my last waypoint which is the Channel
Marker outside of Carabelle. “17 miles”
says my GPS. Holy Crap! Cameron looks at me dead in the eye and says,
“Really Dad?” We have just completed 16
miles. That puts us at least two-three
hours away at this speed. It is 5:00
p.m. The waves are punishing
the bow (and us) every two seconds. Executive
decision time. Go for it OR turn tail
and run. All-in or fold. Forget it. Safety first. I fold.
We turn around. Tropical Storm Debby wins. We call Rock Landing Marina and let them know
we are returning. Oh, did I mention that
both my VHF mounted radio AND my mobile VHF radio are now busted. We do have cell phone access, but still….My
cell phone is all wet.
Going with these
waves is much easier. Cameron and I take large sighs of
relief. I think the boat does also. I bump the speedometer up to 20 MPH. It still takes us over an hour and a half to
return to the marina, but we make it back safely. I will state again – we are exhausted. I drive to Carabelle and sleep 13 hours that
night.
Thank you – Sheila at Rock Landing Marina - for waiting for us
to return safely. That meant a lot to
me.
Moral of the story: I
need a bigger boat!
Stay safe.
Captain Paul
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