Things in the water

[Bill 310]

I was crossing the Georgia Strait early this morning. It was an irratating chop, square waves, stupid wind everywhere and I had slowed downto 8 knots becaue it was just crappy

About 3/4 of the way across. I see what looks like a guy waving while hanging onto an overturned Kayak.

He goes under and then he pops up waving again. He is about 100 meteres from me and the kayak looks to be made of dope sealed canvas like a kit airplane

The next time he surfaces i see him waving again and I continue my turn towards him and blow my horn.

A few seconds later he pops up but is waving but more feebly

As I approach closer (25 metres) I realize he seems to be hanging on to a log -Not a kayak.

He goes under again and this time when he pops to the surface I realize his arm is the branch of the log and his face is the end of another log.

Last year when we were crossing the Strait it was flat calm and we came across a paddle boarder with a back pack mid strait.

 

[Bryan Allen]

I was crossing the Georgia Strait early this morning. It was an irratating chop, square waves, stupid wind everywhere and I had slowed downto 8 knots becaue it was just crappy

About 3/4 of the way across. I see what looks like a guy waving while hanging onto an overturned Kayak.

He goes under and then he pops up waving again. He is about 100 meteres from me and the kayak looks to be made of dope sealed canvas like a kit airplane

The next time he surfaces i see him waving again and I continue my turn towards him and blow my horn.

A few seconds later he pops up but is waving but more feebly

As I approach closer (25 metres) I realize he seems to be hanging on to a log -Not a kayak.

He goes under again and this time when he pops to the surface I realize his arm is the branch of the log and his face is the end of another log.

Last year when we were crossing the Strait it was flat calm and we came across a paddle boarder with a back pack mid strait.

Arrrrg
A couple of tots of overproof will do that to a sailor !!!!

 

[Bill 310]

Arrrrg
A couple of tots of overproof will do that to a sailor !!!!

Not on my watch.

 

[Bill 310]

Part 2 in a Series

So a few weeks ago we went out on the boat for 9 days. We were late getting away so we headed to Nanaimo and were going to scoot through Dodds and end up on North Pender.

On our crossing after a bit of whale watching we came across a fiberglass 15 foot boat no motor, seats, oars, name or cleats floating a few miles off Gabriola red hull white interior

So I call it in

Coast Guard after some questions thanks me and says they will refer the matter to the appropriate agency

5 days later heading back to Nanaimo we hear on 16 the coast guard reporting the same boat still adrift off Gabriola and telling folks to be on the lookout for it

At the Nanaimo Marine posters are up telling folks to call the Coast Guard regarding abandoned & floating vessels.

From the Radio Chatter on 16 the CG seems to be quite busy these days.

Question who do they dispatch to deal with these abandoned floaters?

 

[kaelc]

Part 2 in a Series

So a few weeks ago we went out on the boat for 9 days. We were late getting away so we headed to Nanaimo and were going to scoot through Dodds and end up on North Pender.

On our crossing after a bit of whale watching we came across a fiberglass 15 foot boat no motor, seats, oars, name or cleats floating a few miles off Gabriola red hull white interior

So I call it in

Coast Guard after some questions thanks me and says they will refer the matter to the appropriate agency

5 days later heading back to Nanaimo we hear on 16 the coast guard reporting the same boat still adrift off Gabriola and telling folks to be on the lookout for it

At the Nanaimo Marine posters are up telling folks to call the Coast Guard regarding abandoned & floating vessels.

From the Radio Chatter on 16 the CG seems to be quite busy these days.

Question who do they dispatch to deal with these abandoned floaters?

No one unless it’s a vessel threatening people or the environment, from my understanding.

Floating and half sunken boats and the reports take up a lot of resources. It’s too bad.

 

[RiverBoy]

Years ago i was coming in to the Big Rock boat ramp in CR. We had to stop and wait as usual because it was a gong show as usual. while we were waiting the other buddy boat with me texted me saying “ there’s an elk in the ocean swimming towards shore.”

I turn and see not an elk but the biggest Blacktail buck i’ve ever seen. I counted five tines per side. He got to the beach and booked it like he’d done this a thousand times or more.
Have no idea where he was coming from

 

[Dorman Point]

A number of years ago, I was fishing Third Marker in Howe Sound on a clear winter day. I was the only boat there and I saw something bobbing way out in Collingwood Channel. It turned out to be a deer swimming. I watched it for a while as it slowly approached my line. Slowly, very slowly, its head sank lower and lower while it continued to swim. First the neck, then its ears, then eyes, then at last its nose. Eventually, it sank completely out of sight, still swimming. I watched it go under. It just disappeared. It was one of the strangest, and eeriest, things I’ve seen in a lifetime of working and recreating on the water.

 

[tinboatrobb]

2 years ago while fishing off Macauley point I netted a 50$ bill that was floating just under the surface.

 

[Wondermur]

I was crossing the Georgia Strait early this morning. It was an irratating chop, square waves, stupid wind everywhere and I had slowed downto 8 knots becaue it was just crappy

About 3/4 of the way across. I see what looks like a guy waving while hanging onto an overturned Kayak.

He goes under and then he pops up waving again. He is about 100 meteres from me and the kayak looks to be made of dope sealed canvas like a kit airplane

The next time he surfaces i see him waving again and I continue my turn towards him and blow my horn.

A few seconds later he pops up but is waving but more feebly

As I approach closer (25 metres) I realize he seems to be hanging on to a log -Not a kayak.

He goes under again and this time when he pops to the surface I realize his arm is the branch of the log and his face is the end of another log.

Last year when we were crossing the Strait it was flat calm and we came across a paddle boarder with a back pack mid strait.

Last month we started our fishing trip in Fair Harbour and fished Kyuquot then down to Esperanza, Nootka then when the weather looked good we shot around Estevan Point down to Tofino etc and ended in Bamfield 18days later. After rounding Estevan point, and pulling into the hot springs cove we see a guy on a paddle board. We chat to him at the dock and he was circumnavigating Vancouver island!
He had paddled 11 hours! that day also going around Estevan Point.

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He said he didn’t recommend it …
We thought we were being adventurous until meeting him

 

[Original]

Met that guy in Renfrew on the 31st.
In my short fishing life I have scooped up a hat, a football, a soccer ball and a new pack of bait. Also have netted a fair bit of garbage. Now I’ll be looking out for $50. Bills hehe

 

[scott craven]

2 years ago while fishing off Macauley point I netted a 50$ bill that was floating just under the surface.

Picked up a $20 bill floating at cattle point.

 

[Drink]

Buddy who unfortunately is no longer with us, (damn cancer) was a part time diver who I annually joined in October at the Big Rock launch in Campbell River. Was amazing what we scrounged, everything from kicker motors, nets, gaffs, lawn chairs, you name it. I don’t know how many flashers along with hook ups free flowing still fishing attached to the kelp beds all along the south bank. As for diving a smart guy at slack tide should make an effort to get the cannonballs probably hundreds at the Flemming reef just past Robbers Passage. Sure I have a few parked there.

 

[tubber]

Commercial fishing boss told a story of a swimming polar bear trying to climb aboard a troller while he drifted overnight back when Canadians could fish Alaska waters.

 

[Aquaholic]

I used to find things on the water, on the beach, on the bottom.....I found a kicker with a jet drive on it on the bottom near the government wharf in Powell River. I was a kid in my 12' McCullough aluminum boat, so I called my Dad and he came down with a corner bracket for shelving with rope attached to it. A few minutes later it was in the boat. Score!

Found a floating wallet with cash in it while working at Thetis Island Marina in my teens (15 y.o.). I used to drive over every day from Chemainus in the 12' McCullough with a 7.5 Merc I described above. The wallet had identification in it, so I was that person for the summer, bootlegging for my buddies. True story. When I finally let the guy know I had it, he gave me some money.

 

[B & D]

Crossing from Point Roberts to Porlier many years ago. Listening to notice to mariners and they said to look out for a torpedo our navy had lost. Pulled up to our favorite spot at Porlier about 2 miles south on Galiano and couldn’t believe what we saw ! Been boating for 60 years and by far the craziest thing I’ve ever found.

 

[ClintR]

Never found much. One time a plug someone had busted off after snagging a log. And coming back from the Sandheads one day we followed a trail of mangoes and broccoli into Steveston.

 

[agentaqua]

Came across what turned out to be a sleeping humpback whale near the surface in Fisher Channel to the SW of Bella Bella a few years back. The ribs/pleats on the sides of his mouth looked like the ribs on the side of an overturned black PVC skiff at 1st. When we got alongside to have a look to see if it was an overturned skiff - he woke up and moved & dove. Not sure who was more surprised - us or him.