Rain pattering the cabin top tranquilizes, relaxes and makes staying awake almost impossible. It was a cold Florida night which to many of you may sound absurd. And the cold stuck around long enough to cause thousands of fish to literally go belly up dead. But that happened a few weeks later towards the end of the cold snap.
The wind howled through the rigging and the rain pattered the cabin top and I slept--dreaming. Ever since I was a little kid the rooftop rain would put me to sleep.
"Help me!! Help me!!" faintly I heard. I think I heard in a conscious enough way to think, "I'm dreaming."
"Help me!! Help me!!" The dream crumbles, the imagination gradually quickly vanishes, vanished by the pleading?
"Help me!!! Help me!!!" 'That sure is loud.' I thought. 'I'm quite far from other anchored boats. That's a human voice for sure. I'm anchored near the middle of the river. If that voice is real and not me dreaming, that voice is real.'
I sit up from laying on the starboard quarter berth. In the pitch black the vaguely visible interior of the main cabin comes barely into view. I was just dreaming and now I'm back to being anchored in a nasty cold rainstorm out near the middle of the river."
"HELP ME!!!"
I got up, slid the companionway hatch open and then poked my head out into the dark pelting rain.
"Help me!!" I barely see a man's head sticking up out of the water, he's clinging to a white overturned dinghy. It's pouring cold rain. There's about a two foot chop and the wind is blowing him out into the cold black oblivion.
"Can you swim over here and I'll pull you in?!"
"HELP ME!!!!"
My brother is a Navy rescue swimmer. A while ago he told me about the three types of departures for a helicopter mission. Type 1- Many hours of going through a detailed check of all the equipment before departure. Type 2- Less checks before departing. Type 3- Go!
I'm not a Navy rescue swimmer but what he told me came to mind. Type 3- Go!
I climbed into my partially deflated dinghy filled with about six inches of very cold water. Not bothering to bail or inflate I quickly row over to the man, rowing hard. Getting alongside him I grab his belt and pull him in lifting like lifting a suitcase. He's pretty stiff from the cold water. I have to kick him out of the way in order to be able to row, and then start making way upwind back to my boat.
"I'll get you back to my boat and wrap you in blankets." I say thinking this guy probably needs heat now. As I get closer and see he doesn't look quite as bad as I thought I ask him, "You think you'll be alright if I bring you back to your boat?"
"Yeah" he utters.
"Good." I think. "I don't have to get my gear soaked."
Another few minutes of upwind rowing brings me alongside his boat. Somewhat stiffly he's able to climb aboard. "Thanks." He says.
"No worries man. Have a good night." I say as I let the wind blow me home. Back aboard after my adrenaline settles I start feeling the pain in my feet from the cold water in the dinghy. I'd guess it took about a half hour having my feet wrapped in a blanket before they thawed.
The following day was warm bright and sunny. Rowing ashore I decide to knock on the man's boat to make certain he was still alive.
"Knock knock knock!!" No response. "Knock knock knock!!!" I rap louder and still get no response. 'Geez, I hope the guy ain't dead' i thought. "KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!!!" Rather hard that time.
"Errrrr, what?"
"You alright?"
"Yeah."
Fair Winds
Captain Bill
The wind howled through the rigging and the rain pattered the cabin top and I slept--dreaming. Ever since I was a little kid the rooftop rain would put me to sleep.
"Help me!! Help me!!" faintly I heard. I think I heard in a conscious enough way to think, "I'm dreaming."
"Help me!! Help me!!" The dream crumbles, the imagination gradually quickly vanishes, vanished by the pleading?
"Help me!!! Help me!!!" 'That sure is loud.' I thought. 'I'm quite far from other anchored boats. That's a human voice for sure. I'm anchored near the middle of the river. If that voice is real and not me dreaming, that voice is real.'
I sit up from laying on the starboard quarter berth. In the pitch black the vaguely visible interior of the main cabin comes barely into view. I was just dreaming and now I'm back to being anchored in a nasty cold rainstorm out near the middle of the river."
"HELP ME!!!"
I got up, slid the companionway hatch open and then poked my head out into the dark pelting rain.
"Help me!!" I barely see a man's head sticking up out of the water, he's clinging to a white overturned dinghy. It's pouring cold rain. There's about a two foot chop and the wind is blowing him out into the cold black oblivion.
"Can you swim over here and I'll pull you in?!"
"HELP ME!!!!"
My brother is a Navy rescue swimmer. A while ago he told me about the three types of departures for a helicopter mission. Type 1- Many hours of going through a detailed check of all the equipment before departure. Type 2- Less checks before departing. Type 3- Go!
I'm not a Navy rescue swimmer but what he told me came to mind. Type 3- Go!
I climbed into my partially deflated dinghy filled with about six inches of very cold water. Not bothering to bail or inflate I quickly row over to the man, rowing hard. Getting alongside him I grab his belt and pull him in lifting like lifting a suitcase. He's pretty stiff from the cold water. I have to kick him out of the way in order to be able to row, and then start making way upwind back to my boat.
"I'll get you back to my boat and wrap you in blankets." I say thinking this guy probably needs heat now. As I get closer and see he doesn't look quite as bad as I thought I ask him, "You think you'll be alright if I bring you back to your boat?"
"Yeah" he utters.
"Good." I think. "I don't have to get my gear soaked."
Another few minutes of upwind rowing brings me alongside his boat. Somewhat stiffly he's able to climb aboard. "Thanks." He says.
"No worries man. Have a good night." I say as I let the wind blow me home. Back aboard after my adrenaline settles I start feeling the pain in my feet from the cold water in the dinghy. I'd guess it took about a half hour having my feet wrapped in a blanket before they thawed.
The following day was warm bright and sunny. Rowing ashore I decide to knock on the man's boat to make certain he was still alive.
"Knock knock knock!!" No response. "Knock knock knock!!!" I rap louder and still get no response. 'Geez, I hope the guy ain't dead' i thought. "KNOCK KNOCK KNOCK!!!" Rather hard that time.
"Errrrr, what?"
"You alright?"
"Yeah."
Fair Winds
Captain Bill
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