Tweet
Well something must not be right lately, too many stories! You can add the Reel Estate to the list of boats that have had issues on the open water during these last few weeks.
The trip started out great with nice seas all the way to our fishing grounds some 60 miles out of Freeport. We made 3-4 drifts and boxed three solid snapper and a grouper. The wind and current were working in different directions making drifting fun. We changed up tactics and went to squid just before someone hit the fan and kicked up the seas. We kept fishing throwing back keepers trying to get some AJ’s and larger snapper.
We ended a drift and I put the motors in gear and noticed we were listing to the port. I did a full circle thinking the waves and winds were causing us to lean during the maneuver. I turned back to the other direction and had the same list.
Immediately I knew something wasn’t right, so I pointed the bow toward home and had Redfish Rob take the helm as I went back to the port hatch. I opened it and see water higher than I have ever seen it before. I hit the bilge switch. Then stood there for a second perplexed as to why it had not come on earlier, it worked fine 5 days ago! The float always comes on. The world cat has these wonderful Armstrong hatches and when we drift we do get some water. But why this much?! I double check and look over the side and confirm water is coming out of the discharge.
Let me pause and say earlier this week, actually Monday morning I put a request in at the marina to have high water alarms installed. This is in the works, just not complete yet. Go figure!!!
So there I am now opening each hatch on the port side and my buddy says hey you’re bleeding. Sure enough I had sliced my finger pretty good somewhere in the bilge or while opening hatches. I wrapped it with a towel and decided it would be a good idea to have them take over the inspection as I directed them to each access hatch.
I went ahead and made a call on 16 to the USCG but did not hear a response. I grabbed the sat phone and got in touch with them and gave them a run down of our current situation. I actually think the number I called was not the dispatch because the officer had to relay the info to them after we concluded our call. I’ll need to double check my emergency call list and update it.
While on the phone we determined the bilge pump was keeping up and perhaps it filled up from our drifting and thus not an active leak via a thru hull etc. Still at an unacceptable level we kept the bow pointed back towards home.
It took the bilge about 20 minutes to empty the sponson. We put some more throttle to the engines and planed out. I kept switching the bilge pumps on our whole way back to make sure we were dry.
Once we got around 40 miles out we heard the coast guard reporting our vessel as taking on water. We hailed them and gave them an update and that we appeared to be back to normal & were headed in as a precaution. I contacted them again when we hit the jetty and then finally once at the marina. Thank you coast guard!
I’m thankful it was not worse and caught it when I did. It was a no brainer on cutting the day short given the situation. Plenty of more opportunities ahead.
Lessons learned... double check your float switch before you leave port. And go ahead & flip on the bilge switch every 10 minutes while drifting.
Thanks and stay safe out there.
The trip started out great with nice seas all the way to our fishing grounds some 60 miles out of Freeport. We made 3-4 drifts and boxed three solid snapper and a grouper. The wind and current were working in different directions making drifting fun. We changed up tactics and went to squid just before someone hit the fan and kicked up the seas. We kept fishing throwing back keepers trying to get some AJ’s and larger snapper.
We ended a drift and I put the motors in gear and noticed we were listing to the port. I did a full circle thinking the waves and winds were causing us to lean during the maneuver. I turned back to the other direction and had the same list.
Immediately I knew something wasn’t right, so I pointed the bow toward home and had Redfish Rob take the helm as I went back to the port hatch. I opened it and see water higher than I have ever seen it before. I hit the bilge switch. Then stood there for a second perplexed as to why it had not come on earlier, it worked fine 5 days ago! The float always comes on. The world cat has these wonderful Armstrong hatches and when we drift we do get some water. But why this much?! I double check and look over the side and confirm water is coming out of the discharge.
Let me pause and say earlier this week, actually Monday morning I put a request in at the marina to have high water alarms installed. This is in the works, just not complete yet. Go figure!!!
So there I am now opening each hatch on the port side and my buddy says hey you’re bleeding. Sure enough I had sliced my finger pretty good somewhere in the bilge or while opening hatches. I wrapped it with a towel and decided it would be a good idea to have them take over the inspection as I directed them to each access hatch.
I went ahead and made a call on 16 to the USCG but did not hear a response. I grabbed the sat phone and got in touch with them and gave them a run down of our current situation. I actually think the number I called was not the dispatch because the officer had to relay the info to them after we concluded our call. I’ll need to double check my emergency call list and update it.
While on the phone we determined the bilge pump was keeping up and perhaps it filled up from our drifting and thus not an active leak via a thru hull etc. Still at an unacceptable level we kept the bow pointed back towards home.
It took the bilge about 20 minutes to empty the sponson. We put some more throttle to the engines and planed out. I kept switching the bilge pumps on our whole way back to make sure we were dry.
Once we got around 40 miles out we heard the coast guard reporting our vessel as taking on water. We hailed them and gave them an update and that we appeared to be back to normal & were headed in as a precaution. I contacted them again when we hit the jetty and then finally once at the marina. Thank you coast guard!
I’m thankful it was not worse and caught it when I did. It was a no brainer on cutting the day short given the situation. Plenty of more opportunities ahead.
Lessons learned... double check your float switch before you leave port. And go ahead & flip on the bilge switch every 10 minutes while drifting.
Thanks and stay safe out there.
Comment