"A Most Unfortunate Event"
It was a beautiful Saturday morning in a small Texas Gulf Coast town. The sun was just coming up above the horizon at 6:30am as we were leaving the jetties out to sea. We were on a 35 feet cuddy-cabin boat, equipped with two v-twin Volvo 250 hp engines. Like many other trips before, we were enjoying the cool air and expected a day full of events and excitement. Riding full throttle, we were heading to our favorite fishing spot about 32 miles out to sea.
About 1/2 an hour into the trip, we heard the engine making some unusual noises but we were not overly concerned because the boat has been reliable, even though we have only been on this boat a few times in since our close friend, Jose M., had purchased the boat. About an hour later, we were at our usual fishing spot. We have caught some giant red snappers, red drums, and king fish at this location and so we were overly excited, expecting the same type of actions.
The waves were unexpectedly high that day, 3-5 feet, and the current was also very strong. Going against our instinct and usual practice, we did not want to hook the boat to the oil rig (for fear that the current might change unexpectedly). However, instead of leaving the engine in idle, we opted to anchor the boat into the current, a most unwise decision.
Almost immediately, the waves and the current pushed our boat toward the oil rig and the heavy anchor did not hold. The captain pushed the throttle forward and was able to get the boat away from the rig. However, both engines suddenly died and would not start again. The current, once again, slammed the boat against the oil rig and eventually pushed it under the rig.
Quickly, my friends and I jumped on to the cat-walk of the rig 5-6 feet above the boat (I never thought I would be that athletic and moved that fast). At first, we tied the boat to the rig, hoping to be able to salvage it at a later time. However, after considering the fact that we still have 150 gal of fuel on the boat, we decided to cut the line loose and let the boat go. After floating on top for about 2 miles, the boat sank to the bottom of the ocean.
We stayed on the oil rig for another 7 hours before a boat could come out and rescue us from the high sea. Luckily, we the guys on the oil rig helped us in contacting the Coast Guard and a got a buddy-boat to come out to our rescue. One good thing came out of the day though, our friend, Jose M., found his boyfriend on the oil rig. Here is a picture of them on the rig after sex! j/j/ ...LOL
More fishing tales coming soon. If you have stories and would like to contribute, please email your stories to customerservice@crazyhooks.com.
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