Near tragedy on the Kilchis

I saw two boater come very close to death on the upper Kilchis today.
These inexperienced boaters launched their big three man pontoon at the Kilchis Park in a higher flow situation. It was loaded with all kinds of gear,coolers, fish finder and other stuff but too bad the oarsman didn't take a little common sense with him.
He later admitted he didn't have any experience with this river and of course it was the very first "technical" water he came to that did him in.
His boat was swept into a big root wad and capsized dumping him and his partner right into the cold water. His partner was holding on for dear life as his chest waders filled with water and they both were in a nearly inaccesible place for us to try to rescue them. We threw the oarsman, who was in a better position, a knife and a rope. He had to cut his friends waders from him in order for his friend to get free. He then tied the rope around his friend and was able to bring him safely in.
If there had not been people nearby who knows what would have happened to these two. An elderly gentleman, who they invited along on the trip, called 911 from the pay phone at the park and help was summoned including a rescue swimmer. Had the elderly man who called 911 accepted their invitation for a ride he would have surely been swept away.
Bill Hedlund gave the two wet boaters a ride to their rig at the logging bridge but their big pontoon boat was capsized about 200 yards downriver. Their gear looked like it was a complete loss.
I learned an important lesson today and that is never, ever accept a boat ride in a potentially dangerous situation, with someone who you know nothing about their boating skills.It most certainly would have gone badly for the elderly man who called 911.
Thank God for people being nearby and for the super fast response of Tillamook County Fire and Rescue [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]
This could have turned out very badly.

[kayakfisher]

Very nice work!!

I have kayaked class four waters...but really don't know much about handling drift boats, since I have not handled one of those craft. They look like great fun, but I don't see how you guys can learn to handle these boats without a lot of guided experience from a skilled boatsman.

Good job...sounds like you save someone's neck in a bigy way!!

thanks

M.

[Kentucky Hog Hunter]

Stew,

Dude, your a hero and a life saver... [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

I hope those folks recognized your heroic efforts. So many often disregard the hazards of these environments.

Let this serve a lesson to us all.

[Riverkeeper]

[img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] Glad that ended ok. Good work Stew.

[GOT2FISH]

You should be proud of yourself!!!! I was swept into the Santiam once and had my waders fill, the folks on the bridge found it funny I didnt. It makes me feal alot better knowing that some folks like yourself are willing to go out of there way to help a fellow sportsman who gets themselfs into DODO Congrates

Originally posted by Kentucky Hog Hunter:
Stew,

Dude, your a hero and a life saver... [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

I hope those folks recognized your heroic efforts. So many often disregard the hazards of these environments.

Let this serve a lesson to us all.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">Thanks for the compliment but I was no hero! My son got the rope and knife down to the boaters and SteelieSteve alerted us that this had happened since we were fishing and he was taking a smoke break. I just drove to the Hedlunds to make sure 911 dispatch got the call. The older man was the one who remembered there was a phone at the park.
I'm just glad I had the knife and rope available.
Can't begin to tell you how impressed I was with the response we had from Tillamook F&R.

[ 12-03-2003, 09:00 PM: Message edited by: Stew ]

[Fast Action]

Stew,

I do not know you, but thanks for the story and a heads up for all of us. Good Job!

One thing I learned commercial fishing in Alaska was respect the water. Even the best can get in a bind as well.

A personal friend on here is great on the oars and I trust him, however even he has had a couple of mishaps.

[skein]

Nice going, Stew. It sounds as if you were in the right place at the right time. Good thinking on the knife part.

Good tip on knowing who you're going with too.

Glad it turned out alright. Gear can be replaced....

Skein

[Pete]

As a driftboater, I adopted a rule when I got my first boat that has served me well. Never go anywhere myself unless I have gone down it with someone showing me the water.

Bad things can happen very quickly in moving water. There's more force than is apparent.

I'm glad that only gear was lost in the accident today.

[Fast Water]

:shocked: :shocked:

Stew, good job all around. Glad that there was people around who did not panic and took care of business.

[Old Coot]

Sending over the knife to slit the waders was a stroke of genius! Kudos to whomever thought of it. [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

Did either of the boaters have a PFD on?

Hats off to you and your son for your efforts. How fortunate for the boaters that help was at hand before hypothermia disabled them both.

[SteelieSteve]

This incident could easily have been avoided if the oarsman been practised, scouted the river and in this case been on a wider and more easily navigated river. Coming around the first turn and having a third of the river taken up by trees and stumps created a near fatal accident. The Tillamook Fire & Rescue were quick on the scene. The unfortunate Dr.s are out their gear but got away mostly unhurt(wet & cold). Bill was most helpful to them in taking them to the rig and offering to hold the boat until tomorrow. Glad we were there to hear them yelling for help and get a rope to them. The passenger was in real trouble! Pinned against the stump and waders snagged on roots. Very expensive lesson for the boat owner.

[lamiglass drifter]

that's a nasty tree or (trees) it's been a while. Is there any chance it could be removed for safty sake of all the boats that travel that river?

[BUGLEMAN]

Nice job Steve, Bill, Shane etc. Everyone did thier part to help.

[KingFisher85]

Stew!!! [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]
Glad to hear it all turned out good!

[fisheromen]

Originally posted by Stew:
I learned an important lesson today and that is never, ever accept a boat ride in a potentially dangerous situation, with someone who you know nothing about their boating skills.

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">I learned that lesson on the Clackamas, fortunately without getting doused. An old school buddy called me up and invited me for a day in his new drift boat. I spent the day trying to convince him, without calling him an idiot, that you went through whitewater bowfirst, not backwards. He finally got it at the end but not before I had a couple of scares.

[SteelieSteve]

I learned my lesson out on Tillamook Bay with a new ifisher who had open seats for crabbing and fishing the day of the Ifish BBQ 3 years ago. Got off to a bad start when the starter stuck on the big motor and burnt out. A couple hours later the kicker died and took about an hour to get restarted. Know your skipper and be assured that they have checked out their boat. He had not and we could have been in big trouble. I've been around driftboats since 1978 and have had the good fortune to fish with good oarsmen. Drifting can be fun and filled with good fishing but it only takes one inexperienced person on the oars to end your fishing forever. Small rivers are unforgiving. If your new at the oars go with someone experienced and go on a bigger river where you have a chance to avoid obstructions. Mills to Donaldson's would have been far safer for that pairs first float.

[Jennie@ifish]

Anyone going down the river: The first shoot can be a doozy. Some even rope it through. Since there are fallen trees that are tied to the side, it can be a doozy, unless you know exactly what you are doing.

The boaters went up the other side, where the boat was upside down, the main guy got in and floated the river.

He said that there are several items still in the water. A cooler, that was in a dangerous back eddy, that he couldn't retrieve, a fish finder, perfectly water sealed, that if you find, you might post here.

Anyhow, he kind of stumbled through the rapids above our house, and made it down to the logging bridge to take out.

Nice guy... Now he asked Bill to take him fishing. :smile:

I think you should always go down a new stretch of river with someone who knows it, before you try, but you know what they say, afterthoughts...

Jen

[onebadfish]

i don't fish that river, but i was wondering if having chest waders on while floating the river is common? doesn't seem very smart.

[ampersat]

Stew, et. al.: good work! Your quick action saved the day for these two gentlemen.

Chest waders are very dangerous when they fill with water. You'll sink like a stone. Make sure that you cinch down the waist belt comfortably snug to prevent water from gushing to your boots. Mine also has a stretchy cord at the top that I tighten up each time I get into my waders.

[Bait O' Eggs]

Stew you could have thrown yourself in the river as a floatation device for the guy to grab onto :tongue: :tongue:

Glad you were there to help. [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

[Streetwalker]

My brother & I were with a very experienced guide about 10 yrs ago & very nearly turned a drift boat over in that first chute under the park. There was a new sweeper in there after a recent high water. By the time we all saw the sweeper it was too late. If it were not for the fact that my brother & I bailed out when the boat high sided, it would have gone over. We were fortunate that we both made it to shore, but we both filled our waders. The boat worked free with us out of it & the guide picked us up & we continued on the trip. Had we not reacted quickly & jumped, the boat would have gone over & it would have been a real bad scene.
We had come over to the Kilchis after a slow day on the lower Wilson & were in a hurry to get the boat in float from the park to the logging bridge. 10 minutes of scouting would probably have prevented the whole thing.

Originally posted by Bait O' Eggs:
Stew you could have thrown yourself in the river as a floatation device for the guy to grab onto :tongue: :tongue:

Glad you were there to help. [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

<font size="2" face="verdana,arial,helvetica">Oh you're going to get it now! :tongue:

[Fishin Magician]

Stew..........

[Carp Bait]

Not wanting to make the typical rookie mistakes does anyone have time for some on river training? I have a 14 foot aluminum DB that I've only had out once. I've taken the 3 day river survival course over in McCall Idaho and am CPR/First aid certified. I have kayaked and read rivers for about 10 years but have no DB experience. Can't afford a guide every time the urge to cover new water strikes. Part of the reason for the nonuse of the boat comes from a healthy respect for the power of the river. So any river, any day but Sundays works for me any takers?

[CATCH AND EAT]

Shane and Steve I am glad there are people like you boys looking out for others and willing to offer a helping hand. Kudos to ya! [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

[Hogback]

Why don't people wear life jackets? I use one of the self inflatable jobs even in a drift boat. After a few uses it becomes second nature and you don't even realize you have it on. The only down side is the stares you get from people who don't wear one. I was with a friend a few years ago when he stuck the down river oar in the tailout leaving the Mills Bridge put in. The boat was sideways in the current and the boat would have high sided if the oar had not popped out of the oar lock. Bad things can happen to even the most experienced oarsman and are often attributable a momentary lack of attention. I didn't have my PFD on that day because I had forgotten it. Thank God it all happened so fast beause if I had the time to think about it I would have needed some new BVDs. Please buy some of the least expensive life insurance around a PFD.
Randy

[Artwo]

Thank goodness know was lost in that accident. A quick tip that was taught to me when I was younger and first started wearing waders was to ALWAYS carry a poket knife in the front pocket of your waders. And yes, I wear my waders in my DB but I also wear a PFD as well as carry a poket knife.

[24 on/ 48 off]

Hey guys and gals,

I wasn't there, but your nice comments about Tillamook Fire and Rescue are great to read. Those of us in that line of work enjoy good feedback.

How about sending them a "Thank you" or "job well done" email?

Tillamook Fire

--spud-- :smile:

[metalhead madness]

BEEN THERE......DONE THAT. I too learned a great lesson at that first shute. I had a new to me drift boat and had done guide shop to sollies, larens to 101, farmer to cloverdale, carver to riverside, and loggers down. I thought I was a god on the sticks. NOT SO!!! We {myself,a friend, and my 12 yr old son} were going to fish loggers on down, but when we got there ther were alot of people there. we thought we might go up farther and put in. I had heard there was a ramp at a park up above. Feeling confident in my skills we headed up. The launch went well every situated and hit the first shute. Hide sight being 20/20 wish I would have roped it down. anyway went into the shute up into the tree and dipped an edge. The water held us there for a moment and then dipped the edge again and that was it. My friend grabbed my boy and bailed out of the front once i saw them gone I followed. The boat turned upside down and anchored itself on the gravel bar befor the bend. My son was on the island very cold and very scared. A sheriff launched right behind us and helped tremedously. I spent 45 min in the water tring to right my boat. some bankies on the other side tossed us a rope and dragged the boat across as i had lost an oar and could not continue. the sheriff put us three himself and his partner in his boat and got us across. That was alittle scary as well. Alot of weight and lots of current. Anyway all were safe, my son a little traumasized { took awhile to get him back on ANY boat, much less the drifter}. Now I always go down with a guide first once or maybe a couple of time before I do it myself. I learned alot of respect for not only human life but the river as well. BTW we all had pdfs on. Please be carefull out there and respect the river. If you don't it may just bite the heck out of you.

[Stz ll]

Great job Stew and whoever was with you!!

As Mark said.

Shane, bet that was scary to witness. :shocked:

Some power was watching over them and had you there for a reason. [img]graemlins/applause.gif[/img]

Rick

[ZaQ]

Good job Stew!

[Thumper]

Great job Stew and good thinking!

[SteelieSteve]

Not nice Roy. We are not hero's. Hard to ignore full out yells for help minutes after the rookies launched. I heard them yelling and went to find out what was up when a older man informed me that they had overturned the boat and pointed to where they were stuck.(He was just standing and looking at them, clueless). At the bottom of a dropoff about 15 feet down. I was no help except to get Stew and his son to assist. Glad it worked out without injury or worse. Since these 2 are Dr.s they should stick to fishing with good guides. [img]graemlins/program.gif[/img]

[frankenfish]

OOPS,

Didn't see how to add a post to here until now. See new post related "Re-Near Tragedy on the Kilchis"

[24 on/ 48 off]

He means This one.

--spud-- :smile:

[rags]

Good job guys. Maybe someone that has been down this shute can give a step by step how to. I haven't been down this stretch in a few years but don't remember any difficult water. Is this new?