I just got back from a week of wonderful sailing on Priest Lake in northern Idaho. Great scenery and good winds. Spent most of the week alone with my wife joining me on the weekends. I'm working up a story on the trip I'll send later. I do, however, want to pass on this sad reminder to all solo sailors. I came upon the evidence of every solo sailors worst nightmare; finding yourself in the water with your boat sailing away. I found a Catalina 25 run aground on an island on Priest Lake. Her keel was grounded, sails flapping, and no lines ashore or anchor out. I recognized her as the only other sailboat in the marina where I currently have Tullamore. After calling out and pounding on her hull, I boarded, fearing I'd find the worst. She was empty. The sheriff's boat was called and they came and took over the situation. The swim ladder was already down before I went aboard, so we thought he might have taken a swim during the previous days light winds and let the boat get away from him, but further investigation revealed he always left the ladder down. His motor was lowered into the motoring position also, and out of gas, so it appears he may have been starting the motor when he went over from the terribly awkward position required to start and engage the motor when they're on those lowering brackets outside the transom. The boat then motored away and grounded itself and ran until out of gas, leaving him in the middle of a large lake, possibly wounded from the prop. We may never know. Priest Lake is over 300 feet deep out there and very cold down in the depths. A small search was conducted, but he had last been heard from 2 days earlier, and I had even seen the boat in that small cove the day before, but from a couple miles away and unaware there was a problem, so they have given up hope of survival. His boat is now tied up next to mine at the marina, with a grieving family cleaning out his things and preparing to sell her. Be careful out there friends. Especially when alone. Don't put your family through what I've just seen. Larry Yake M17, Tullamore
A sad story Larry....thanks for reminding us. When singlehanding my Norsea I have a rule: I always wear a life jacket with an attached strobe lite. Most singlehanders are found dead, floating with their zipper open. (use the bucket) Just common sense. Fair winds Bob Larry E Yake wrote:
I just got back from a week of wonderful sailing on Priest Lake in northern Idaho. Great scenery and good winds. Spent most of the week alone with my wife joining me on the weekends. I'm working up a story on the trip I'll send later.
I do, however, want to pass on this sad reminder to all solo sailors. I came upon the evidence of every solo sailors worst nightmare; finding yourself in the water with your boat sailing away. I found a Catalina 25 run aground on an island on Priest Lake. Her keel was grounded, sails flapping, and no lines ashore or anchor out. I recognized her as the only other sailboat in the marina where I currently have Tullamore. After calling out and pounding on her hull, I boarded, fearing I'd find the worst. She was empty. The sheriff's boat was called and they came and took over the situation.
The swim ladder was already down before I went aboard, so we thought he might have taken a swim during the previous days light winds and let the boat get away from him, but further investigation revealed he always left the ladder down. His motor was lowered into the motoring position also, and out of gas, so it appears he may have been starting the motor when he went over from the terribly awkward position required to start and engage the motor when they're on those lowering brackets outside the transom. The boat then motored away and grounded itself and ran until out of gas, leaving him in the middle of a large lake, possibly wounded from the prop. We may never know. Priest Lake is over 300 feet deep out there and very cold down in the depths. A small search was conducted, but he had last been heard from 2 days earlier, and I had even seen the boat in that small cove the day before, but from a couple miles away and unaware there was a problem, so they have given up hope of survival.
His boat is now tied up next to mine at the marina, with a grieving family cleaning out his things and preparing to sell her. Be careful out there friends. Especially when alone. Don't put your family through what I've just seen.
Larry Yake M17, Tullamore _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
Larry, on Friday I returned to Port Townsend from the Gulf Islands via Cattle Pass between Lopez and San Juan Islands. As I exited the pass in smooth water but a 4 kt ebbing current I could see what appeared to the naked eye to be white cliffs about 2 miles ahead, using the binoculars I could see that it was really a giant tide rip and a 40' cruiser was showing it's rudder and propellors as it tried to negotiate the maelstrom. I could see that about 30 deg east the "cliffs" were somewhat lower and then beyond the waves was a fog bank so I installed the radar display, battened everything down inserted the hatch boards and donned my life vest. The lesser rip lasted for some 5 nm with Swoose rolling and pitching violently, I considered raising the sail to damp the rolling but on going forward to do so I found the deck to be dropping away from under my feet and decided it wasn't a prudent move at my advanced age and just motored steering to best quarter the waves. My dog Bonita didn't like it one bit! Just north of Smith Island I spotted a big radar return about 5 miles away over my right shoulder, turned out to be a Korean frieghter overtaking me at about 20 kt, no communication on the VTS channel, thank goodness I had fired up the radar. As they say on the cop shows, "be careful out there". Dick Larry E Yake wrote:
I just got back from a week of wonderful sailing on Priest Lake in northern Idaho. Great scenery and good winds. Spent most of the week alone with my wife joining me on the weekends. I'm working up a story on the trip I'll send later.
I do, however, want to pass on this sad reminder to all solo sailors. I came upon the evidence of every solo sailors worst nightmare; finding yourself in the water with your boat sailing away. I found a Catalina 25 run aground on an island on Priest Lake. Her keel was grounded, sails flapping, and no lines ashore or anchor out. I recognized her as the only other sailboat in the marina where I currently have Tullamore. After calling out and pounding on her hull, I boarded, fearing I'd find the worst. She was empty. The sheriff's boat was called and they came and took over the situation.
The swim ladder was already down before I went aboard, so we thought he might have taken a swim during the previous days light winds and let the boat get away from him, but further investigation revealed he always left the ladder down. His motor was lowered into the motoring position also, and out of gas, so it appears he may have been starting the motor when he went over from the terribly awkward position required to start and engage the motor when they're on those lowering brackets outside the transom. The boat then motored away and grounded itself and ran until out of gas, leaving him in the middle of a large lake, possibly wounded from the prop. We may never know. Priest Lake is over 300 feet deep out there and very cold down in the depths. A small search was conducted, but he had last been heard from 2 days earlier, and I had even seen the boat in that small cove the day before, but from a couple miles away and unaware there was a problem, so they have given up hope of survival.
His boat is now tied up next to mine at the marina, with a grieving family cleaning out his things and preparing to sell her. Be careful out there friends. Especially when alone. Don't put your family through what I've just seen.
Larry Yake M17, Tullamore _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
hmmm...how much for the boat? ----- Original Message ----- From: "Larry E Yake" <leyake@juno.com> To: <montgomery_boats@mailman.xmission.com>; <nwpotters@yahoogroups.com> Sent: Sunday, August 01, 2004 7:03 PM Subject: M_Boats: A sad reminder
I just got back from a week of wonderful sailing on Priest Lake in northern Idaho. Great scenery and good winds. Spent most of the week alone with my wife joining me on the weekends. I'm working up a story on the trip I'll send later.
I do, however, want to pass on this sad reminder to all solo sailors. I came upon the evidence of every solo sailors worst nightmare; finding yourself in the water with your boat sailing away. I found a Catalina 25 run aground on an island on Priest Lake. Her keel was grounded, sails flapping, and no lines ashore or anchor out. I recognized her as the only other sailboat in the marina where I currently have Tullamore. After calling out and pounding on her hull, I boarded, fearing I'd find the worst. She was empty. The sheriff's boat was called and they came and took over the situation.
The swim ladder was already down before I went aboard, so we thought he might have taken a swim during the previous days light winds and let the boat get away from him, but further investigation revealed he always left the ladder down. His motor was lowered into the motoring position also, and out of gas, so it appears he may have been starting the motor when he went over from the terribly awkward position required to start and engage the motor when they're on those lowering brackets outside the transom. The boat then motored away and grounded itself and ran until out of gas, leaving him in the middle of a large lake, possibly wounded from the prop. We may never know. Priest Lake is over 300 feet deep out there and very cold down in the depths. A small search was conducted, but he had last been heard from 2 days earlier, and I had even seen the boat in that small cove the day before, but from a couple miles away and unaware there was a problem, so they have given up hope of survival.
His boat is now tied up next to mine at the marina, with a grieving family cleaning out his things and preparing to sell her. Be careful out there friends. Especially when alone. Don't put your family through what I've just seen.
Larry Yake M17, Tullamore _______________________________________________ http://mailman.xmission.com/cgi-bin/mailman/listinfo/montgomery_boats
participants (4)
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Bob -
Gilbert Landin -
Larry E Yake -
Richard Lane