PUSHING THE EDGE OF THE ENVELOPE

[Albacore Tuna Captain]

With what has happened in Garibaldi and recently off the Norther California and Southern Oregon coasts, a word must be said about pushing the edge of the envelope.

Several years ago, I learned a very important lesson about pushing the edge. The reported weather forecast called for a significant weather change with high winds that was expected to occure from 60 nm miles and further offshore. We were on a halibut fishing trip and decided to go because that weather was not expected to be in our area. Well we got to the Saddle, 29 miles offshore and got hit by that weather. We never got our lines in the water and had to head in. It was the toughest trip I ever had operating a charter boat that required all my abilities to get it home safely. The seas were so bad, that I never even considered how bad the bar was when I crossed coming in because it couldn't have been any worse. I pushed the edge of the envelope and got spanked. I learned a very good lesson.

Don Davis was a very good charter Captain along with all the other Captains in Garibaldi. They have experience crossing the meanest bar on the west coast. They have confidence and an exceptional ability at boat handling. I've seen them operate and I'm amazed at their savy in crossing that bar. And confidence and success can bring a person to the edge of the envelope.

I have a very good friend who operates one of the finest and most sea worthy charter boats in Oregon. The incident I refered to at the begining of my post made him open his eyes. He stayed out in that weather and successfully caught all his fish. In discussing the storm we weathered, I asked him a very pointed question. I asked him how his boat rode the storm and he replied, "It was pretty tough at first, but the weather came down and we were able to finish the trip." I then asked him how he would have faired if it had gotten worse and he said, "If it had gotten worse, we would have been in trouble." He knew he was on the edge of the envelope.

Many small personal watercraft got into trouble and had to call for help this last week when an unexpected thunderstorm line came through. Sudden squalls can produce very severe weather that most recreational craft cannot handle.

We are facing a potential disaster on the west coast with the proliferation of the recreational fishing industry. More people are able to purchase boats to enjoy the ocean experience and with the introduction of GPS, more and more people are feeling confident enough to venture further offshore. I have seen many vessels offshore recently that have absolutely no business being there.

So what I'm trying to say with this post is this.

Know your boat! Get as much education about the marine enviornment that you can before taking to the offshore waters! Watch the weather with a hawkeye! And more than anything else, DON'T PUSH THE EDGE OF THE ENVELOPE! If you do, and the worse happens and ca ca goes to hell in a handbasket, you will have no where to go! :depressed:

Be safe, be sensible and don't push the edge of the envelope. Give yourself a margin for safety and live to fish another day. :smile:

Captain Mike

[Sea Jypzee]

Mike - very well said. I am one who believes that my boat can handle much more than I can...

[skein]

Good post, Capt Mike, and one I can certainly relate to. Just reference my "Timid" thread.

I try really hard to be tuned to the conditions out there. I watch for squall lines with the same or more diligence than I watch my fishing lines. I try to sense wind changes, direction and speed, and run a mental calculation of "time to the jaws" and direction of run.

I want to expand my experience with the big blue, and part of that is living long enough to do it. And I don't ever want to have to live with knowing I've drowned - or come close to drowning - someone.

To you guys who spend a lot of time trying to teach us less-experienced guys something, thanks. Count me as an eager learner.

Skein

[ 09-08-2003, 08:54 AM: Message edited by: skein ]

[Badger]

I couldn't agree with you more Albacore Tuna Captain. Thanks for sharing that, we can all learn from you experience.

[corrirod]

Great advice Mike. [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

This goes for both the experienced and non! It's probably worse for the experienced sailors because as we gather experience(some good, some bad), our level of comfort in not-so-good conditions goes up until we finally over commit ourselves, which could very well have been what led the captain of the Taki-Too to his demise.

We have all done it. In fact, I can think of one tuna trip we made this year that none of us should have been out in. Conditions on the way out were so-so and proceeded to get worse but due the fact we were still catching fish we stayed until the ocean was throwing 4'+ steep chop at us.

My point is, all of us skippers learn to pilot thru those conditions and begin to feel as though they are "acceptable" conditions, when really they are not. I will not lie, I have endangered my crew before, that day being one of them. Lord knows there were many others too. It's not something you do intentionally, it's just that you get a false sense of security and believe it's within your skill level when really you shouldn't "test" your skill level.

I guess you just need to know your boundaries. This is exactly why I am proud to have Skein as a friend, and fellow Salty Dog, after he decided to turn around on his maiden tuna voyage because the conditions were uncomfortable. That's a true Captain, watching out for the safety of his/her crew! [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

[Mr. Fisherman]

Thanks Mike, we all need to hear this once in a while and with the transitional season upon us this should be fresh on everyones mind.
My hats off to you... oh yea, that's your hat.
It seems to bring me luck though and with an occasional post like this it might even educate me via osmossis...

Thanks Mike

[Hummingbird]

Great Post Mike,
I don't own a boat ,but, have had the priveledge of going out on the Blitz this past Summer 3 times. I would like to thank Mike for his Profesionalism at fishing the ocean & Safely handling his boat. Mike has a Great Sense of Humor as well and I would encourage any newbie or experienced fisher of the ocean to book a trip on the Blitz.
He also has top knotch deck hands that really know their stuff . They have to ,to be on the Blitz , Captains rules "He is always right." We really had a good time last Friday and Spanked the Bullets. I am now a truely de-Flowered Tuna -Holic. I will be going again this week-end and It sure would be nice to meet a few more Ifishers again. Thanks for the experince of a lifetime Mike. Can you say 53 Bullets with a few Back with sore mouths? :grin: Thanks Again and Tight Ripping Lines!!!!! Tom

[img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

[Pilar]

Mike, you continue to validate my trust in and unqualified admiration of you.

There are old sailors and bold sailors but there are no old, bold sailors.

So far I have seen a healthy respect for the power of the wild living thing we call the Pacific by the newer boat drivers. Hopefully the rest of us will remember days like Mike is telling us about.

Hopefully the more experienced of us will not succumb to complacency.

Thank you Albacore Tuna Captain and keep up the good work.

[jacksalmon]

Well put, captain, but to make the advice applicable to reality, tell me what you think about the upcoming Swordfish trip, which I understand is planned for this Tuesday (9/9). The forecast is for gale force winds and 10 foot swells. Given the advice in your article, is the forecast reason to cancel the trip or are the numbers within the realm of safety? I would appreciate your thoughts. Thanks.

[WP]

In the early '70s when I was commercial fishing in Coos Bay, I was running a 24' displacement troller. It was s-l-o-w, about 6.5 knots tops. I was out on a flat calm day until about noon. Something in the air changed that I couldn't discribe very well. It got heavier somehow. I didn't like the feeling so started back toward port. As I ran, the wind started to pick up and by the time I reached the bar, the wind was screeming at about 30-40 knots and the seas were kicked up enough that I surfed the bar in and had my trolling poles touch the water surface! That day, two boats in the Charleston harbor were beaten up against the dock and sank, 5 boats were lost at sea, and Port Orford (an anchoring port at that time, with full sea exposure) lost a bunch of boats to anchors being dragged anf the boats going on the beach. The storm came up in a veru short time, out of the south, with no weather warnings. When I was about half way back, the Coat Gaurd boat cam but and was contacting boats to get in ASAP...the only time I experienced that! If I had not started back when I sense something was amiss, I would never have made it back (my opinion). It was the worst storm I experienced in the 5 years I commercialed there. It came up fast, hard and was devestating. Get off the water if it feels, seems, looks, or is predicted to be even close to your or your boats limit. Most boats, like most cars, have better ability/capacity than the people operating them. Make sure you know what you are capable of and don't get near that level of risk! Skien has my utmost respect, he didn't operate from his ego nor from his burning desire to catch albacore, but rather from his sense of responsibuility and experience level! Like Rod, I have been out when It was probably better to bag it and return. 30 years can dull the vividness of that experince in Coos Bay..thanks Mike for the reminder to NEVER be complacent or greedy with the Pacific.
Dave

[Fishplay]

I'LL DRINK TO THAT!!!!!

[Orca]

Amen.

[Fishing Dispatcher]

[Albacore Tuna Captain]

Jack Salmon,

We have canceled our swordfishing trip due to the bad weather forecast. It would be too uncomfortable a trip and we want to have fun.

[Popeye]

MIKE!!!!NOT CANCELLED....postponed :grin: :grin:

[CAPT KUJO]

I can relate to pushing the envelop! Nice post Big Mike!

CAPT KUJO

[SKSPAWNER]

Thanks for the great read. It's great to know that others are just as aware of the immediate environment as the fishing when they are out. Thanks to you fellow Salty Dogs, I feel much better about calling a trip if I don't think the conditions are right for my boat, passengers or myself. You help to validate a good decision.

Sunny K

[ 09-09-2003, 08:08 AM: Message edited by: SKSPAWNER ]

[Albacore Tuna Captain]

I stand corrected Popeye. :grin: We have postponed the trip for better weather.

Swordfish beware, we are coming for you!