Joined: Fri Apr 03, 2009 4:47 pm
Posts: 3046
Images:10 Location: Darwin
Barrabucks points on hand:
29,385.00
Barrabucks
Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 2:08 pm Post subject: Whats your scariest weather experience?
Mine was in....believe it or not.....Sadgroves Creek.
It was about ten years ago. Beautiful day. No sign of any kind of weather.....this one caught lots of people out.
I had gone out to catch a few muddies with my hungarian soccer buddy Zoltan and wasnt very far from the boatramp. My boat then was a 4.8 meter bermuda. How could anything go wrong? ..Just goes to show how things can get ugly quickly.....and you dont have to be too far from home.
Anyway I lost a pot. It had become tangled and the tide went up over it. I hate losing pots. They become cyclic marine killers with crabs becoming bait for more crabs and fish which then become bait themselves. So I put a fair bit a effort into retrieving them and this day I was very focussed and not watching the sky. I was also in mangroves meaning the only visible sky was directly above.
It was late buildup and we hadnt really had any storms..so I wasnt really expecting anything....(little things adding up). I found the pot and was leant over the side trying to untangle it underwater...when I felt...I dont know...a pressure change...a change in the light....I looked up and forgot about the pot. I started the boat and gunned it for the ramp knowing I was already too late. From one side of the sky to the other was massive angry storm cloud. One of those ones that just smack of violence and messiness. The biggest storm short of a cyclone I had seen in Darwin. And there was no avoiding it.
Experience....if it happened today I would go deeper into the mangroves on the lee bank.....experience.
By the time we got back to the ramp it had hit. It was wild. Waves throwing the boat around......some crashing over the side....the ramp in those days was a little more exposed and the waves there were like being at a southern beach.
I twisted my ankle jumping out and running for the Toyota. Zoltan held onto the boat and heavens knows how he managed. He was soaked head to toe as the waves were smashing the boat on the ramp if he got too close. I backed the trailer in but there was no possible way we were going to get it on. The waves just kept smashing it against the trailer...and us....try as we might we were not even close to getting it on. I thought we were stuffed. Going out again was madness....trying to get it on was madness...staying here getting smashed by the boat as the storm just got worse and worse was madness.....
Two lads had come down to look at the storm. They saw our struggles and jumped in..fully clothed...into what was a very dangerous situation. I'll be forever grateful to those two lads. With their help we were able to wresle that now somewhat battered boat onto the trailer and drag our sorry arses up to safety.
Zoltan an I took a few minutes to stop and let our heart rates subside. How could things go so pear shaped ...in Sadgroves Creek!!
Well that storm that afternoon sunk several boats in the harbour and smashed some moored yaughts on the rocks around fannie bay. I would hate to have been out further.
Well thats my weather story...
Whats yours?
_________________ Its not a crisis unless there is blood around. If there is blood around......well its a police matter...
Joined: Wed Dec 23, 2009 11:29 pm
Posts: 3391
Location: PALMERSTON
Barrabucks points on hand:
33,935.20
Barrabucks
Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 2:23 pm Post subject: Re: Whats your scariest weather experience?
I was in the Tassie highlands hunting in the middle of a winter storm. It was so cold that when I took a leak, the stream of pee froze instantly to the ground and I was stuck fast. To break free, I had to snap off the frozen stream of pee. that was a close one
Joined: Sun Feb 18, 2007 9:29 am
Posts: 599
Location: darwin/jabiru
Barrabucks points on hand:
7,650.50
Barrabucks
Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 2:28 pm Post subject: Re: Whats your scariest weather experience?
Working on a sylo at northen cement when it was struck by lightning. Loudest noise I,ve ever heard Scared the cr.p out of me and blew the circut board on a 15k welding machine
Joined: Tue Dec 23, 2008 10:45 am
Posts: 1268
Barrabucks points on hand:
12,376.95
Barrabucks
Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 2:35 pm Post subject: Re: Whats your scariest weather experience?
Good topic mud... First year i moved up to darwin got stuck in a low tide hole in shoal bay for the day, tides was two hours away from coming in got hit by huge thunder lighting storm. The lighting was pretty full on for good hour or so. Looking back was pretty bad , but wat made it worse at the time was the fact i had just moved up from country nsw and had never seen a electrical storm like that ever before. Fun times for a dumb country hick
Joined: Sun Nov 25, 2007 4:59 pm
Posts: 1999
Images:9 Barrabucks points on hand:
19,940.35
Barrabucks
Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 3:32 pm Post subject: Re: Whats your scariest weather experience?
Mine actually happened when I went out on an overnighter to Bynoe with Crackers a few years back. We were on our way to Lorna, the seas were calm and all was well. Half way there about 10pm the wind picked up from the north bringing up a nasty swell which slammed us from the side. To cut a long story short within half an hour the wind was blowing 30 knots plus and the waves were reaching 2m+ along with a sizeable swell. Coming from the side that can be a recipe for disaster. We decided to run for cover east towards Tapa bay. The wind swell and incoming tide was really smashing us and we could not go much faster than 10-15 kms. It was a frightening experience to see waves 2-3m+ marching on your boat from the side. Everytime we fell in the trough we felt real isolated , water all around us and the sky by now was heavily clouded over so no moonlight or stars visible. It got so rough I pulled out the life jackets and we both donned them just in case. Finally after and exhausting and nerve racking slow trip(2-3 hours) we got into cover into Tapa Bay. I then asked Crackers whether he has encountered a hairier situation in his travels - his reply though in the positive somehow did not convince me . Although I have been in some other similar situations since this one really stands out as a very close call. Learning from this night time experience I have since attached to all my life jackets a chemical light stick so that should a person fall overboard at least there is some chance of seeing them in the dark and saving them.
_________________ 'Take me drunk, I'm home" Unknown
"Conformity is the jailer of freedom and the enemy of growth". John F. Kennedy
"The first principle of a free society is an untrammeled flow of words in an open forum" Adlai E. Stevenson
"We are willing enough to praise freedom when she is safely tucked away in the past and cannot be a nuisance. In the present, amidst dangers whose outcome we cannot foresee, we get nervous about her, and admit censorship". Forster, Edward
"Freedom is the right to tell people what they do not want to hear" George Orwell
"Political Correctness is a doctrine, fostered by a delusional, illogical minority, and rabidly promoted by an unscrupulous mainstream media, which holds forth the proposition that it is entirely possible to pick up a turd by the clean end." by Anonymous
Joined: Fri Jan 28, 2011 12:35 am
Posts: 310
Images:4 Location: Darwin
Barrabucks points on hand:
3,155.00
Barrabucks
Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 3:42 pm Post subject: Re: Whats your scariest weather experience?
Where to start, here goes. I had only had my new boat for a month or two - 5.5 gs marine center rear console with a 150 off the back. Had been in the rivers and harbour a heap of times learning how to play with my new toy and getting use to the feel and adjments needed for smooth travel. I had only ever owned and driven tiller steer tinnies all my life so this was a big thing and heaps of fun. Planning went into action for my first big trip where to go ?? I decided Melville would be fun and not too far as I had been over half a dozen times in my 4.5 and had no drama's.
On the forcast for the next two days, no rain was expected and very little wind, great - it was on. Myself and my two best mates were on an adventure. We left buffalo in the morning with blue skys a small chop but no glass off but pretty good all the same. Fantastic trip over and in my best time ever, did some fishing on the way over and got up to about 50 odd km/h in some spots. Sat in the creek all night fishing. Not cleaning up but caught a few so good fun was had by the 3 of us.
Next morning we were all a bit hung over but not too bad so we decided to head off around 9ish and have a couple of drops on the way back home. Not a clould or heavy wind to be seen - HAPPY DAYS !
Now it all turns to POO !!! After 2 or 3 stops the sun was starting to beat down on us so we decied to head home to rest up. We took off at about 35km/h cruising along when all of a sudden we hit a big wave and went airborne like a baywatch boat- prop out and all. We all looked at each other and laughed. then one of the guys just points backward and we all turn to see a big green storm chasing us fast. So kept speed up around 40 to out run it but as we got closer to half way (Vernons) the sea just dropped from under us and all of a sudden we were in pea soup with a 6 to 8 m swell going on. WTF !!! All I could do was pump the throttle from flat out to idle just trying to go from wave crest to wave crest whilst looking down the swell seeing rocks and reef at the bottom. All the time this is happening one mate grabs the epirb and neally went overboard, the other nearly falls in the other side trying to get a life jacket , ME I was just trying to drive whilst getting a bucket load of water splashed in my face every five to ten seconds. Even plowed the bow into a couple of ways and put 4 to 6 inchs of water accross the floor. Bilge worked flat out that day. At one stage had a side pressure wave 4in high the whole length of the boat. Thank god it didn't fall in. GS boat - MEANS -- GET SOAKED !!!!! Any how an hour trip it took to get there , took 4.5hrs to get back to Buff. Ended up way west of Lee Point before we could get a turn and head to Buff. Everything in the boat absolutly soaked and us worn out complete with red raw feet from gripping to the carpet to stay up right. Me - I had a big black bruise on my waist line from smashing in the steering wheel a hundred times. All well back in buff creek- not a cloud to be seen. Good virgin long trip cr.p time travel.
Joined: Wed Sep 01, 2010 11:25 am
Posts: 463
Barrabucks points on hand:
4,000.00
Barrabucks
Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 3:43 pm Post subject: Re: Whats your scariest weather experience?
Not mine, but.....I had a mate that took his recently purchased speed boat over to Mandorah years ago. He had two others with him, all of which I consider pretty hard blokes. The weather turned to cr.p while they were over there. He had his two mates in tears on the return journey as they were convinced they were going to die. He did say it was pretty hairy riding the waves at the same time as he was trying to gun it to ensure they didn't break over the stern. I had to race a storm across the harbour, last wet season,that had all the sparks & growls. I felt for the poor buggers in the party hire pontoon who were trying to do the same thing.
Joined: Fri Jul 09, 2010 4:22 pm
Posts: 3
Location: Darwin
Barrabucks points on hand:
30.00
Barrabucks
Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 3:54 pm Post subject: Re: Whats your scariest weather experience?
30 years ago we had a boat and beach house in Victor Harbour, SA, and a few illegal cray pots - we put them out around the back of the Bluff on Boxing Day and then couldn't get back out to check them for a few days due to the wind. Gotta calm day eventually and headed around the corner - but the swell was massive and we were about 30 metres from the rocks. I'm there pulling in the first pot when the ol' man shouts to let go and guns the motor just as a big green one came bearing down on us - a quick check of the horizon showed nothing coming so back into pulling the pot - out of about 60 metres of water. Just as I got the pot near the boat and had a great view of a heap of crays sitting in the bottom another shout and off we go again - this time with a heap of freezing Southern Ocean coming over the top of the cabin. The old man suggested one more try since there was probably over $500 worth of crays in the pot so with me shitting my daks we go back again and this time I got the pot into the boat and it was chockers with crays - then the motor died - then another massive wave came......over the top of the cab again and we're getting closer to the rocks. Got the donk started and we high tailed it out of there leaving two pots in the water. As we're heading back to the ramp I looked back into the put only to see two massive octupus sitting in there - I grabbed one of the crays and it was decidely light - and dead! As were the rest of the crays!! The octupus had a massive feast - we nearly drowned - lost two pots and a cuppa pairs of jocks!
Joined: Wed Dec 23, 2009 11:29 pm
Posts: 3391
Location: PALMERSTON
Barrabucks points on hand:
33,935.20
Barrabucks
Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 6:15 pm Post subject: Re: Whats your scariest weather experience?
I see no one thought my post was in any way humorous. Ah well
Just a tip, no fish, cray etc. is worth dying for. If you get caught in a storm, take cover, it will pass and you’re much better off getting back the next day than not at all If you do get caught out and have to drive on, stay on the back of the wave rather than trying to run from crest to crest. Its much slower but the only safe way to do it. Years ago when I was young and stupid, I tried to surf down the face of a big wave off Sydney. I have seen big yachts do it so I thought I could do the same. The boat ended up sideways and almost broached. I shat myself for a long time after that and would only go out in flat water
Joined: Thu Jan 01, 1970 10:30 am
Posts: 7874
Images:53 Location: La La Land
Barrabucks points on hand:
1,432,508.70
Barrabucks
Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 7:10 pm Post subject: Re: Whats your scariest weather experience?
Storm alley on the Adelaide - from Black Jungle back to the ramp - I got caught in a cracker of a storm, and it was also with Crackers fishfanatic, he must attract bad weather, haha.
It was nothing to do with waves, but a strong electrical storm with lightning formed right over us, and it was coming down all around as we headed back to the ramp. We waited under the bridge a while but it got worse. We were last boat out. It was coming down as I waded through the carpark to get the car and I reckon a lightning strike within 500m would have zapped us.
The storm followed us home, I had to drive at 30km/h along the highway, I swear a bolt came down 200m from the car, and Darwin had minor flooding when we got there.
The lower Adelaide is a bad area for storms, a well-known fisho was killed on the Adelaide a few years ago. Watch the radar in the Wet and you'll see storms form there and the area is constantly smashed.
I like that about NT fishing though, it is larger than life. Here it just drizzles on you all day ... although a day on the southern ocean can be plenty exciting ...
As for the frozen pee stream nomad, I sat on a metal toilet seat, was stuck for two days ...
Joined: Sun Jul 08, 2012 5:12 pm
Posts: 189
Location: Gove
Barrabucks points on hand:
510.00
Barrabucks
Bank:
1,830.00
Barrabucks
Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 9:04 pm Post subject: Whats your scariest weather experience?
Day trip up to the Brombie islands, like a lot of the other story it was pretty much a glass out with a slight ripple. After a couple hours of good fishing we notice the horizon getting a bit dark with storm clouds so we decide to cut the trip short and start trolling home( this storm was pretty far off). We got about 5nm before we noticed how quick it was moving so up on the plane we get,doing about 22 nm/h it was only another 5 minutes before it hit us. the storm was a shocker 40knt winds lightning and 3m seas. Before we get a chance to slow down the sea drops out from under the boat, our 5m cat was launched of a big wave prop and all. Well anyways to cut along story short we were stuck in the storm for 3 hours with lightning going off all around us before it finally died down,
I've been very wary of grey skies ever since
_________________ I couldn’t repair your brakes, so I made your horn louder.” - Steven Wright
"If you want to maintain a sustainable supply of fish you have to farm the fish, rather than mine them. So putting your money into fishing fleets that are going to exacerbate the problem by over-fishing is not the way to preserve the underlying asset." Maurice Strong
Joined: Sat Jul 22, 2006 2:41 pm
Posts: 1402
Images:58 Location: Kununurra WA
Barrabucks points on hand:
14,776.30
Barrabucks
Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 10:06 pm Post subject: Re: Whats your scariest weather experience?
Plenty to choose from - here's one from a couple of years ago.
Leaving a run across Lake Argyle a bit late and having the storm come in from the northwest, an unusual direction. Was about 5 kays from the ramp when it hit, blowing in from the bank closest to me that I was travelling parallel along about 500 metres off the shore so there was no waves to worry about. However there were a number of mountains and valleys spread along the bank, in the lee of the mountains it was good, when I got to the valley the wind was shocking but as said no waves so I could keep the throttle flat out.
In one of these valleys the wind was a mess, one water spout went past me about 30 metres in front of me as least as quick as I was travelling. I thought "you don't see that every day!" A few seconds later one smacked me from the side, just saw it a half second before we collided, more an eddy than a spout about a metre wide. I was flat out and it was as well when we hit. Boat got some air, nothing fell out but everything including me dog etc in the boat was moved around. Heart ended up in mouth and poo ended up in undies .
Joined: Sat May 08, 2010 7:10 pm
Posts: 1891
Barrabucks points on hand:
16,192.40
Barrabucks
Posted: Fri Jul 20, 2012 10:37 pm Post subject: Re: Whats your scariest weather experience?
i havent really been scared yet so to speak maybe to young to understand properly but the few times we have encountered bad weather was in our boat with my old man skippering first one i remember being in big seas was a trip back from dundee to darwin the storm picked up as we left at one stage my old man was worried as we kept heading straight into the swell as it was the safest option that he was going to eventually run aground at bathurst after punching into for so long he checked the plotter and hadnt gone more than a couple of km in 5 hours the swell would have been 3.5to 4m and it took 8 hours to get back to cullen bay marina from dundee the worst seas i have probabaly been in was in the billfish comp some time ago when that freak storm hit mid afternoon and the seas turned to poop we were close to a boat "jenny rite" at the time and no more than a few hundred metres away and that boat got hit by a big side on wave and flipped there boat they were left in the water for quite some time and fairly battered and beaten we didnt even know it had happened as the seas were so bad and they were right near us another fella micheal waldman had hit canopy ripped clean off his centre console and landed way back behind them i remember our boat haveing a foot of water through it the whole time and the scuppers couldnt drain it quick enough as they kept coming over the front some of the biggest seas i have even been in would be broome i reckon not that dangerous just a massive swell and pretty close together
You cannot post new topics in this forum
You cannot reply to topics in this forum
You cannot edit your posts in this forum
You cannot delete your posts in this forum
You cannot post attachments in this forum