When its blowing storm force winds but ya took the time off to go fishing!!

[SpringFever552]

Been there done that numerous times many moons ago, young dumb and full of c.m
Winter Harbour was the largest seas I've been in ,close second was off Camper Bay.
How about yous?

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[Prawn Star]

Winter Harbour for me too. I had a couple of buddies I served with come in from Ontario for a week while staying there in a rented cabin. I launched my little DE with 115 hp Yammi on in Port Alice whilst our gear was driven up to WH by a local friend. Long story short, we spent most of the week in the cabin due to storms. We did push it to get out during a break in the weather which was a bad idea. We weren't having any luck for bottom fish so we ventured out passed the lighthouse and tried to jig. An hour later we had ventured out a bit further and the 10-15 footers with lots of froth came out of no where. I had to get the boat turned around to head back and once I did that it was white knuckle. Throttle up, slow down and repeat while we were completely between two huge walls of water. That little boat handled very well as it had done so in the past but never this bad. What a relief it was to enter the harbour and drink our faces off.

 

[Samnjoe]

Big south winds at Winter Harbor. Card playin time.

 

[BearCove]

Cape Scott headed for Quatsino Sound, working for the Coast Guard on big search and rescue vessel, 5-7 meter seas on a ebb tide. Boat cracked a fuel tank and had to drop two of the four main engines, chugging along at 8 knots. Taking green water over the bow and and doing 12 degree rolls. Thought at the time that we were done for, all crew on the bridge with survival gear on, scariest event of my life.

Second was Nahwitti Bar, again working for Coast Guard headed out over the bar in 4 meter seas on an ebb tide, smaller rescue cutter, taking green ones over the top, sand on the deck, insane.

Needless to say, that was my last trip working for the Coast Guard, decided that my life as a rescue specialist was over.

Had one of the old salty dogs I worked with (25+ years with the CG) say to me one day "Respect Mother Nature because she has absolutely no respect for you" I have used that saying many times when deciding on weather and whether or not I would "Go for it"

Be safe and be smart, come home alive.

 

[Gong Show]

 

[Gong Show]

Roller Bay is a night fishery, the sox come up at night, so that is when you can gillnet them.
Fleet generally anchors up in Shadwell Pass during the day and then heads out for the dark set.

Back in the day, I was 19 years old and skippering a 36' gillnetter, I had my 16 year old cousin and her friend along and deckhands. Labour shortages were real bitd too.
After two days of forecasted storm force winds, that never occured, we went out on the third night.
Craziest weather I have ever been in. Only a couple of old scandahoovians were out with us.
I was spread eagled on the floor for hours trying to recouperate enough to go back on deck.
Waves breaking over the stern, double overheads. Had to hang on with both arms locked around the roller supports and hold my breath until we broke through to the surface.
Could see the cork line and the lead line strung out in the troughs between the waves.
Longest night of my life.
Broke some dishes and my favourite coffee mug, no other damage or injuries.
Net was pretty messed up, but it was the sea anchor.
Caught enough sox to pay the fuel and for a big bottle of rum.

Took weather a whole lot more seriously after that, but still thought I was invincible.
It's called Roller Bay for a good reason.

 

[N2013]

I see a common theme…

 

[Gong Show]

As long as you live through it, hindsight is 20/20.

 

[Pippen]

Fishing off Kyuqout.....pushed out the surfline to the reef. Got kicked around and my wife said "I am useless if you go down". Pushed out and trolled in easy 15' swells.... not breaking waves and we tubbed out on springs in the high 20's. She was happy in the result but not so much in that I had her fight all the fish.

 

[kaelc]

Commercial fishing, just a hell of a night drifting in the little double ender. I was 16, plates were crashing and I’m like “nothing I can do now, I worked a good day” rolled over and went back to sleep.

Fishing for fun it was heading out of the broken group looking for the rats nose with some bad directions. My buddy who guided up in HG said it was like school buses of water coming at us from every direction.

 

[terrin]

Cape Scott headed for Quatsino Sound, working for the Coast Guard on big search and rescue vessel, 5-7 meter seas on a ebb tide. Boat cracked a fuel tank and had to drop two of the four main engines, chugging along at 8 knots. Taking green water over the bow and and doing 12 degree rolls. Thought at the time that we were done for, all crew on the bridge with survival gear on, scariest event of my life.

Second was Nahwitti Bar, again working for Coast Guard headed out over the bar in 4 meter seas on an ebb tide, smaller rescue cutter, taking green ones over the top, sand on the deck, insane.

Needless to say, that was my last trip working for the Coast Guard, decided that my life as a rescue specialist was over.

Had one of the old salty dogs I worked with (25+ years with the CG) say to me one day "Respect Mother Nature because she has absolutely no respect for you" I have used that saying many times when deciding on weather and whether or not I would "Go for it"

Be safe and be smart, come home alive.

Were you on the Tannu?

 

[BearCove]

Were you on the Tannu?

Gordon Reid off Cape Scott and Port Hardy Lifeboat going over the bar

 

[Sharphooks]

I worked for the Pacific Halibut commission one winter (January). I was on a halibut schooner called the Seymour. We were running gear in Dixon Entrance and around Prince of Whales Island doing abundance surveys. A storm blew in that had the boat dead in the water, quartering into the blow for three straight days. I saw the anemometer pinned at 100 knots….not a gust, mind you. A steady blow. On tide changes I’m guessing we saw 10 meter waves, maybe higher, but the schooner’s design seemed to take them in stride

I don’t think I’ve ever seen wind like that since that storm. I was too green and stupid to draw any conclusions that the ship might go down. For me it was an adventure. I figured I was on a Norwegian schooner and it did this stuff all the time. I was also the only guy on board who didn’t blow chips….I have memories of Swedish meatballs all over the deck, put there in random fashion by crusty old Norwegian guys who seemed pissed that I wasn’t getting as sick as they were

When the storm finally broke it left 8 foot snow drifts on Prince of Whales Island. Several planes had gone down trying to fly people out of Craig during the storm with everyone lost. I figured I’d used up all my cat lives on the schooner so I’d wait a bit for the weather to clear before flying out.

I spent one week in a small cabin with no furniture, snow drifts up to the roof….the entire cabin was well provisioned, however….it was stacked wall to wall with huge piles of forno magazines….but my memory of that part of the adventure was that those piles were all pure and white, like the snowdrifts outside….

 

[Gong Show]

I worked for the Pacific Halibut commission one winter (January). I was on a halibut schooner called the Seymour. We were running gear in Dixon Entrance and around Prince of Whales Island doing abundance surveys. A storm blew in that had the boat dead in the water, quartering into the blow for three straight days. I saw the anemometer pinned at 100 knots….not a gust, mind you. A steady blow. On tide changes I’m guessing we saw 10 meter waves, maybe higher, but the schooner’s design seemed to take them in stride

I don’t think I’ve ever seen wind like that since that storm. I was too green and stupid to draw any conclusions that the ship might go down. For me it was an adventure. I figured I was on a Norwegian schooner and it did this stuff all the time. I was also the only guy on board who didn’t blow chips….I have memories of Swedish meatballs all over the deck, put there in random fashion by crusty old Norwegian guys who seemed pissed that I wasn’t getting as sick as they were

When the storm finally broke it left 8 foot snow drifts on Prince of Whales Island. Several planes had gone down trying to fly people out of Craig during the storm with everyone lost. I figured I’d used up all my cat lives on the schooner so I’d wait a bit for the weather to clear before flying out.

I spent one week in a small cabin with no furniture, snow drifts up to the roof….the entire cabin was well provisioned, however….it was stacked wall to wall with huge piles of forno magazines….but my memory of that part of the adventure was that those piles were all pure and white, like the snowdrifts outside….

Those scandahoovians think nothing of snotty weather, oh ja.
No doubt they were grumpy about you not getting seasick, I can just envision the looks.

 

[Gong Show]

Were you on the Tannu?

The Mighty Tanu was a feared ship back in the day when it bore the battleship grey paint.
It was one of the larger DFO enforcement vessels on the West Coast, the pride of the Pacific fleet, and the skipper was very adept at hiding it behind islands.
Suddenly the VHF would light up as the Tanu appeared from behind a point or headland running full steam towards the 'line'.
I heard it launched the rubber duck while travelling at full steam during active enforcement actions.

Then it was painted red like a harlot and the luster and sheen disappeared. Although I feared the vessel in the past, I only feel remorse at its current state.

Forever in my memories!

 

[Capt_Ed]

The Mighty Tanu was a feared ship back in the day when it bore the battleship grey paint.
It was one of the larger DFO enforcement vessels on the West Coast, the pride of the Pacific fleet, and the skipper was very adept at hiding it behind islands.
Suddenly the VHF would light up as the Tanu appeared from behind a point or headland running full steam towards the 'line'.
I heard it launched the rubber duck while travelling at full steam during active enforcement actions.

Then it was painted red like a harlot and the luster and sheen disappeared. Although I feared the vessel in the past, I only feel remorse at its current state.

Forever in my memories!
View attachment 106655

Your definitely correct about the skipper being a stealthy ba$tard. I had many words with him and the rubber duck when our GPS s didn't match determing the boundry lines. I made it through a long career without a charge though and pretty happy about that

 

[terrin]

The Mighty Tanu was a feared ship back in the day when it bore the battleship grey paint.
It was one of the larger DFO enforcement vessels on the West Coast, the pride of the Pacific fleet, and the skipper was very adept at hiding it behind islands.
Suddenly the VHF would light up as the Tanu appeared from behind a point or headland running full steam towards the 'line'.
I heard it launched the rubber duck while travelling at full steam during active enforcement actions.

Then it was painted red like a harlot and the luster and sheen disappeared. Although I feared the vessel in the past, I only feel remorse at its current state.

Forever in my memories!
View attachment 106655

My brother in Law Jack Hayes worked on it and told many stories.

 

[Bryan Allen]

When the DFO fleet was merged into the CCG fleet and told to go with the red and white paint job it was a real PO with the skippers and crews. "How the hell can I sneak up on a poacher when I look like Santa Clause ?? " On one occasion one of the Post boats was running past the Lazo radio station.. when one of the operators hailed her with " Nice Paint job skipper." The skipper ,whose name I cant remember , replied with a salty phrase that is seldom heard on government radio frequencies.