Sad to see it happen again, that water is pretty rough at times on a good day.
I was out there just before that happened! I came through Quick's Hole at 11:22 which is the time the tide was just turning around. When that tide turns and the current is going the other way it can be VERY nasty. This must have happened very soon after I went through.
I almost didn't chance coming through it as it was that bad. They're guessing when they say the wind was around 20 knots ... well it was more like 30-35! When I went through the waves were already at the 8' mark. I'll tell you my bunghole was so tight going through that you couldn't have gotten a needle in there with a jackhammer!
I took my dad out for Father's day fishing on Lucas's Shoal and it was okay until about 10:15 and you could feel the weather just change in an instant. All the boats out there were packing it in pretty quick and heading in.
I stopped by another boat before going through (an 18' open boat with a guy and his family) and asked if he was okay because he had beached himself on Nausweena Island inside the hole, he said he's fine just not taking a chance going through the hole yet with the water as turbulent as it was ... SMART idea!
I have a 22' Quest center console which sits very high in the water and when I went through the mouth of Quick's the waves were HUGE! :
When I rolled up the face of the waves and came down the backside of them my pulpit would sink in about the middle of the next wave coming and put about 100 gallons of water in my boat over the bow.
I had both of my bilge pumps going (Rule 1500's) just to be on the safer side of making it through, my dad and I both had on our S.O.S. Suspender life jackets, my dad's 70 years old and he's fished all his life out there and he said he's never seen it that bad. I asked him if he wanted to wait it out and he said he's already wet so what the hell, let's go.
Even with the experience we both have with Quick's Hole, I don't think I'll go through again if its like that, just don't need to chance it. My condolence's go out to the skipper's family. With 5 people on board and only 4 life jackets he at least made sure his guests were seen to for safety but he should've had that 5th one for his own.
I counted my blessings when I got home and said a few for the skipper and his family when I picked up this mornings paper and saw what happened. He will be missed, unfortunately people take too many chances out there and something like this ends up happening.
Be careful out there everybody! Just when you think you control the sea she comes back and slaps you into reality and shows you who the real boss is. If anyone knows the skipper and his family please pass along my sympathies to them.
Tight lines to all.
Hybrid Mode
