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stories:coastguard_rescue_12_11_2022
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| As I got further North the waves became choppy and bigger and bigger. We had passed a few logs earlier but now they were everywhere. I crested one wave to see I was headed toward the root system of an upended tree. I yelled to myself, “You’ve got to be kidding”. I was wallowing and then speeding forward and wallowing again as I dodged the 3-foot-high web of roots. | As I got further North the waves became choppy and bigger and bigger. We had passed a few logs earlier but now they were everywhere. I crested one wave to see I was headed toward the root system of an upended tree. I yelled to myself, “You’ve got to be kidding”. I was wallowing and then speeding forward and wallowing again as I dodged the 3-foot-high web of roots. | ||
| - | In these conditions, I was alternating between hulis and maneuvering around wood. Almost every time I went in the stern leash was either wrapped around the stern or the rudder. I would move to the back of the boat and untangle the leash. Every huli my marine radio fell out of my PDF’s pocket. During at least three of my hulis my radio leash wrapped around my stern leash, further complicating remounting the boat and extending my time in the water. I tried stuffing my radio back into my vest pocket, but that became more difficult as time went on. On two remounts I landed sitting on my radio. I was unsuccessful at reaching down and shifting my weight to remove the radio. Back into the water. On some remounts the radio would be under my thigh, taking away any leg drive I could muster. | + | In these conditions, I was alternating between hulis and maneuvering around wood. Almost every time I went in the stern leash was either wrapped around the stern or the rudder. I would move to the back of the boat and untangle the leash. Every huli my marine radio fell out of my PFD’s pocket. During at least three of my hulis my radio leash wrapped around my stern leash, further complicating remounting the boat and extending my time in the water. I tried stuffing my radio back into my vest pocket, but that became more difficult as time went on. On two remounts I landed sitting on my radio. I was unsuccessful at reaching down and shifting my weight to remove the radio. Back into the water. On some remounts the radio would be under my thigh, taking away any leg drive I could muster. |
| Another complication was the plug in the stern. During almost every huli the plug was ripped out of the hole. It added yet another water-logged, time-consuming chore to push the plug back into place. During one remounting attempt, I couldn’t quite reach the bucket and I looked back and the leash was hung up on the plug. I tried kicking the leash but it wouldn’t release. Back to the end of the boat to untangle the leash and secure the plug. | Another complication was the plug in the stern. During almost every huli the plug was ripped out of the hole. It added yet another water-logged, time-consuming chore to push the plug back into place. During one remounting attempt, I couldn’t quite reach the bucket and I looked back and the leash was hung up on the plug. I tried kicking the leash but it wouldn’t release. Back to the end of the boat to untangle the leash and secure the plug. | ||
| - | During one of my brief paddling segments I spotted a 20-foot-long, 18-inch-in-diameter, log ahead and perpendicular to the boat. The sucker looked like it was moving East and we were on a collision course. Having recently been t-boned, I had no interest in repeating that experience. I went into the bay before the log could hit me. Gently the bow of the boat went up on the log. Then I had to get the boat off the log and get far enough away that the boat didn’t get hurt. The wind was my friend, as I angled the stern to catch a gust and I pushed and swam the boat off the log. Once off I still had to get enough distance away from the log so the waves would crash us together. This was time-consuming. | + | During one of my brief paddling segments I spotted a 20-foot-long, 18-inch-in-diameter, log ahead and perpendicular to the boat. The sucker looked like it was moving East and we were on a collision course. Having recently been t-boned, I had no interest in repeating that experience. I went into the bay before the log could hit me. Gently the bow of the boat went up on the log. Then I had to get the boat off the log and get far enough away that the boat didn’t get hurt. The wind was my friend, as I angled the stern to catch a gust and I pushed and swam the boat off the log. Once off I still had to get enough distance away from the log so the waves would not crash us together. This was time-consuming. |
| At this point you might be wondering how big the waves were: These waves rivaled the largest waves I had been in the Gorge, but were more confused and filled with large debris. It was strange. I had been out in much bigger winds, but never waves this big on the Bay. | At this point you might be wondering how big the waves were: These waves rivaled the largest waves I had been in the Gorge, but were more confused and filled with large debris. It was strange. I had been out in much bigger winds, but never waves this big on the Bay. | ||
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| I have no memory of the EMTs moving me to the ambulance. The only thing I remember is seeing a branch outside the ambulance window that was eerily similar to the branch clicking on the window in one of my favorite movies of my youth, Doctor Zhivago. | I have no memory of the EMTs moving me to the ambulance. The only thing I remember is seeing a branch outside the ambulance window that was eerily similar to the branch clicking on the window in one of my favorite movies of my youth, Doctor Zhivago. | ||
| - | I must have gone out for a bit because the next thing I remember was Neil saying he was glad to see me. I was in the ER at PeaceHealth, with an IV, an amazing heating system for hyperthermic patients, EKG electrodes taped to my chest, and a parade of techs, nurses, doctors, and friends. They had wrapped me head to toe in white blankets, basically the costume of Peter O’Toole, in another favorite movie of my youth, Lawrence of Arabia. Okay, I hope I am not doing a Benjamin Button here. | + | I must have gone out for a bit because the next thing I remember was Neil saying he was glad to see me. I was in the ER at PeaceHealth, with an IV, an amazing heating system for hypothermic patients, EKG electrodes taped to my chest, and a parade of techs, nurses, doctors, and friends. They had wrapped me head to toe in white blankets, basically the costume of Peter O’Toole, in another favorite movie of my youth, Lawrence of Arabia. Okay, I hope I am not doing a Benjamin Button here. |
| After all my tests were completed, my core temp was back and my cognition was as good as it gets, I was cleared to go. | After all my tests were completed, my core temp was back and my cognition was as good as it gets, I was cleared to go. | ||
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