Jet skis and big waves

[DeadBird]

I just returned from ten days at the family camp in northern Maine. It's on a lake that's part of a 5-lake impoundment roughly 15 miles long and as much as 3 miles wide, large enough so it can get sloppy in a blow. Last Monday was one of those days with 3 foot whitecaps.

The guy three camps down is from MA, he lets friends use the place sometimes. A group of about fifteen showed up Monday morning, roughly 6 adults, the rest ranging from maybe 7 to late teens. The first thing they do is hop on the jet skis, which they have never seen or operated before. I wonder now whether any of them had ever been in a boat.

Two jet skis head for the middle of the lake, two aboard each. Inside five minutes they're all in the water and the machines are swamped, nose up. I'm thinking how I can help but our boat isn't at camp yet it's still at the marina five miles down the lake. Then a third jet ski heads out with two more aboard, they get to the others then roll it, now six in the water waving for help. I run across the yards to the camp where the remaining people are just staring, no clue what to do.

 So I make conversation...
First question, did you call 911?.... No, should we?.....  So they dial it.

The place has a party barge, I ask if they have the keys. A few minutes go by and the keys show, then we have to track down the battery switch. More fun. My wife is at camp shouting to hurry, the whitecaps are crashing over their heads half a mile offshore. I plan to go alone, but the herd jumps aboard to help save father, daughter, husband, brother, whatever. Overloaded at the start.

We beat it directly into the crap and the waves are coming right over the bow and the pontoons are working against each other, the frame is wracking so I get the gang in pfd's. We get to the swimmers and pull I five aboard, coughing up water but ok. Now I realize there is somebody missing. I'm pretty testy with theses people for getting into this, where the hell is he?

He swam for shore. Holy crap, rule #1 never leave the vessel until it sinks. So I turn us downwind in the direction they point and start looking with field glasses. The pfd's are dark green so I can't pick it up. The crowd is crying and after five minutes I think he's likely gone but keep looking. Then I see a small boat head out a few hundred yards downwind, nobody else is crazy enough to be out here absent emergency. As I head down I can see the guy, his head is down and the waves are crashing over him from behind. The small boat gets to him and the guy grabs the swimmer by the life jacket, still not looking good. When we get to him I see him move, we haul him aboard, he coughs up a cup of water but is otherwise ok.

Now there's at least 12 aboard we're never making it back upwind so I head for a dock and drop off all but one, then it's not too bad getting back upwind. Meanwhile the 911 operator, still on the line for the play-by-play, wants to talk to me...the woman hands me the phone and the operator tells me I MUST take the people 3 miles across the lake to meet emergency personnel.  As another wave comes over the rail and hits me in the face I give her an f-you, you stupid beep beep beep beep. I hand the phone back.

Back at the dock the meat wagon is waiting, the people have already walked back to their camp. One goes for a ride, everybody else is checked out and is ok. At this point the game wardens show up in their boat, they almost went down trying to get to the scene. Poor bastards are soaked in a 20+ foot Lund walk through. It took them close to an hour to arrive in what should have been under 15 minutes for a 6-7 mile run. One of them tells me the next day they ran through 5-6 footers in one spot, pretty hairy for these size lakes.

I just returned from ten days at the family camp in northern Maine. It's on a lake that's part of a 5-lake impoundment roughly 15 miles long and as much as 3 miles wide, large enough so it can get sloppy in a blow. Last Monday was one of those days with 3 foot whitecaps.

The guy three camps down is from MA, he lets friends use the place sometimes. A group of about fifteen showed up Monday morning, roughly 6 adults, the rest ranging from maybe 7 to late teens. The first thing they do is hop on the jet skis, which they have never seen or operated before. I wonder now whether any of them had ever been in a boat.

Two jet skis head for the middle of the lake, two aboard each. Inside five minutes they're all in the water and the machines are swamped, nose up. I'm thinking how I can help but our boat isn't at camp yet it's still at the marina five miles down the lake. Then a third jet ski heads out with two more aboard, they get to the others then roll it, now six in the water waving for help. I run across the yards to the camp where the remaining people are just staring, no clue what to do.

 So I make conversation...
First question, did you call 911?.... No, should we?.....  So they dial it.

The place has a party barge, I ask if they have the keys. A few minutes go by and the keys show, then we have to track down the battery switch. More fun. My wife is at camp shouting to hurry, the whitecaps are crashing over their heads half a mile offshore. I plan to go alone, but the herd jumps aboard to help save father, daughter, husband, brother, whatever. Overloaded at the start.

We beat it directly into the crap and the waves are coming right over the bow and the pontoons are working against each other, the frame is wracking so I get the gang in pfd's. We get to the swimmers and pull I five aboard, coughing up water but ok. Two are young girls I guess are 10-11. Now I realize there is somebody missing. I'm pretty testy with these people for getting into this, where the hell is #6?

He swam for shore. Holy crap, rule #1 never leave the vessel until it sinks. So I turn us downwind in the direction they point and start looking with field glasses. The pfd's are dark green so I can't pick it up. The crowd is crying and after five minutes I think he's likely gone but keep looking. Been here before, it's grim.

Then I see a small boat head out a few hundred yards downwind, nobody else is crazy enough to be out here absent emergency. As I head down I can see the guy, his head is down and the waves are crashing over him from behind. The small boat gets to him and the guy grabs the swimmer by the life jacket, still not looking good. When we get to him I see him move, we haul him aboard, he coughs up a cup of water but is otherwise ok.

Now there's at least 12 aboard we're never making it back upwind so I head for a dock and drop off all but one, then it's not too bad getting back upwind. Meanwhile the 911 operator, still on the line for the play-by-play, wants to talk to me...the woman hands me the phone and the operator tells me I MUST take the people 3 miles across the lake to meet the emergency personnel.    How about f-you, you stupid beep beep beep beep. I hand the phone back.

Back at the dock the meat wagon is waiting, the people have already walked back to their camp. One goes for a ride with flashy lights, everybody else is checked out and is ok. I retire to camp for refreshments.

At this point the game wardens show up in their boat, they almost went down trying to get to the scene. Poor bastards are soaked in a 20+ foot Lund walk through. It took them close to an hour to arrive in what should have been under 15 minutes for a 6-7 mile run. One of them tells me the next day they ran through 5-6 footers in one spot, pretty hairy for these size lakes.

I've spent my life on the water, but it's always good to get refreshers on some subjects:

1. Never leave the boat and swim for it.
2. Dark green pfd's are impossible to see, even for an experienced guy with field glasses. If you want to be found wear hi-viz something.
3. Confirmed once again, beer and scotch go well together immediately after pulling folks from the lake.
4. Everybody in a small town has a scanner, pick up more beer and scotch as you will have many visitors in the coming days.

[Spider1]

DB, it's a good thing you were there! People just don't respect the water enough.

[DeadBird]

DB, it's a good thing you were there! People just don't respect the water enough.

Makes you wonder if there really is a grand plan and you're supposed to be somewhere for a reason. Regarding respect for the water, these people thought they were on Lake Rodney Dangerfield.

[FM]

You really got in the way of Darwin. Some people are just born stupid, too stupid for you to have risked your own life for. Did they bother to thank you?
FM

[KingPerch]

Your a good man Stuart! 😎
Putting yourself in harms way to help the 95%tile.....I'm glad your still here to be able to tell us your story!

I'll explain the 95%tile thing in the duck blind!😎

[DeadBird]

You really got in the way of Darwin. Some people are just born stupid, too stupid for you to have risked your own life for. Did they bother to thank you?
FM

The sad part is they were warned by the owner not to take the jet skis if they could see whitecaps. The adults are educated professional people, totally lacking in life experience outside an office. I will thank them. however, for destroying three of those annoying things.

Yes, they walked to our camp later that night to talk. The mood was totally chastened and gratefull, they brought candy, a big bottle of Crown Royal and a thank you card. Candy was good but saved the booze for another day since I was deep into a scotch bottle. Have not read the card because I kinda know what it says and my wife and aunt cried when they read it.

[DeadBird]

Your a good man Stuart! 😎
Putting yourself in harms way to help the 95%tile.....I'm glad your still here to be able to tell us your story!

I'll explain the 95%tile thing in the duck blind!😎

I hope that will be soon Larry. Very much looking forward to it.

Hey I just noticed I managed to double post the original story. Probably still drunk. 

[Spider1]

Hey I just noticed I managed to double post the original story. Probably still drunk.

yeah, I noticed that... I started reading the second one and thought to myself, "geez, this happened twice!!!" LMAO!!!

Probably still drunk.

I can see it clearly... There's a large group of inexperianced people in dangerous waters, their crafts useless, 6' breakers crashing down on them. They are losing hope, all is lost... but then they see one boat heading to them. An heroic figure at the helm risking life and limb to get to them. They wave in desperation swallowing water and nearly drowning as the fisherman finally arrives and reaches down for the first victim. The waterlogged soul looks up into the soaked bloodshot eyes of the fisherman and hears the words... "Heeey, ya got a beer. Gimme a beeer! heeyyyy, you guys got any beeers!"


LMAO!! just kiddin DB, You are a hero and a good man!

[slammer]

Nice work db......that takes balls.  Scary stuff........

[chez]

Dead Bird Rocks!!!!!!!!
Good Job,Bro.
Hope they would do the same for you.
I dont think you would get yourself in a stupid situation like that.
I agree with spider,people have no respect for the power of the water.
Wether it be,jet skis,power boats,water skis,or even Yaks.
It takes an accident like that,for them to gain respect.

BTW.,Havent seen many pics in the yak of you lately???
Youve been quiet also
What you throw me out of the BUNK???

[DeadBird]

Thank you all for the kind words, but it was not quite as dangerous for me as the story sounded, provided the barge didn't split in two. Not my first time removing fools from the water either, it's a good feeling when it's over except when they don't make it. It was more aggravating that people pull bonehead moves like this. When I was a kid my dad and grandfather said when people need help real men do what needs to be done. There are times when it's not possible, as I said I've seen a few go to Davy Jones, which is pretty grim. 

So chez, I had the kayak on the beach when the jet ski thing went down. It was a little choppy for the kayak that day. Caught a few smallies out of the kayak other days, then my cousin showed and scored it. He paddled that stupid thing until it made MY arms tired watching, now he's gonna buy one of his own. I do enjoy it and it makes my wife happy when we go for a paddle. I need to find time to swing by your place, and get up to NY. Ten days in ME was enough for a while, until bird season anyway. This weekend is shot, I need to do a HOF induction speech for a buddy so I can't get away.

[RutNut]

Good job deadbird! 

I have seen my fair share of smart people do some dumb s***!!!! And have gone above and beyond to help a few of them out over the years like you did. I don't know if I could ever sit back and watch things go south, if I knew I could help in some way.

KUDOS to you for stepping up and doing the right thing! 

[chez]

Thank you all for the kind words, but it was not quite as dangerous for me as the story sounded, provided the barge didn't split in two. Not my first time removing fools from the water either, it's a good feeling when it's over except when they don't make it. It was more aggravating that people pull bonehead moves like this. When I was a kid my dad and grandfather said when people need help real men do what needs to be done. There are times when it's not possible, as I said I've seen a few go to Davy Jones, which is pretty grim. 

So chez, I had the kayak on the beach when the jet ski thing went down. It was a little choppy for the kayak that day. Caught a few smallies out of the kayak other days, then my cousin showed and scored it. He paddled that stupid thing until it made MY arms tired watching, now he's gonna buy one of his own. I do enjoy it and it makes my wife happy when we go for a paddle. I need to find time to swing by your place, and get up to NY. Ten days in ME was enough for a while, until bird season anyway. This weekend is shot, I need to do a HOF induction speech for a buddy so I can't get away.

When you get down here call me..
We will do something,,even dinner and a few beers.
A fishing trip would be nice
Im gunna make it happen this ice season for sure...ONEIDA LAKE!!!!!!
The only thing that will prevent it would be the lack of ice.

[zziipp]

Good job deadbird.sometimes you can see what's about to unfold.a couple yrs ago me the wife and kids went to the crick.the bottom holes were full of swimmers so we went to a more secluded spot.the crick was a Lil high and the hole was about 8 ft deep. A guy shows up with 4 kids and he has a cast on his leg.my wife and I saw the 3 boys trying to get the lil girl to jump off the rock into the deep hole.I warned her 3 times not to.I could see the fear in her eyes.she backed down a couple times.my wife told me were not leaving until they do. She was worried about them kids and the fact the guy had a cast on his leg and what he could do if something happened.I agreed and said i had the same thought.a lil time went by and the girl made her approach to the rock again and jumped in and panicked.she rapped her arms around the first neck she could get a hold of and down they went.my wife was running and within 4 strokes I was on top of them. I had to grab her by the hair and rip her off the other kid and tossed her back up on the rock.the boy regained the top and was ok.I grabbed him but he was ok.he started yelling at the girl.I said that's why you don't make someone do something they don't want to.a couple mins later they left. Never even got a thank you.not that I needed one. I think the guy realized how stupid it was for him in a leg cast to have taken them swimming.it still haunts me a Lil bit to think if we would have went to our reg spot and not have been there. What might have unfolded.something told us to stick around. Call it what ever you want but somethings and sometimes your    at a place for a reason you don't even know yet.

[chez]

Good Job to mr. And mrs,ZZIIPP.
THANK GOD YOU WERE THERE.
YOU DONT NEED A THANKS.
YOU WILL BE REWARDED SOME WAY YOURSELF OR A FAMILY MEMBER.IF YOU HAVENT BEEN ALLREADY.