Go to http://glocktalk.com/docs/gtubb/Forum13/HTML/017805.html for the original thread.
I thought that some here would be interested in this story that just happened where a stranger with a big knife saved a life, and someone discovered the virtues of carrying their own.
"I went jet skiing off of Point Loma today (a peninsula off San Diego in the Pacific). We were jumping the waves right off the rocks along with an old boat that had two guys on it.
All of the sudden the guys in the boat are in the middle of the HUGE breakers and screaming like hell for us (myself and a friend I was riding with) to come over there.
My friend is kinda new at riding in the surf and I had just rescued his hide maybe 15 min. earlier. He said for me to go because there was no way he was "going back in there".
So I race over to the boat to see what these guys are screaming about and it turns out their engine had died.
I tell them to tie a rope to the front eye-hook where the trailer connects and that I would be right back - I had to go ride away from these really HUGE breakers. (sorry guys). So I come back when the set was done and those idiots tied the rope to the front railing, on the bow instead. I yelled back for them to put it on the front eye hook and pointed to it. The boats caption clearly knew what I was talking about but insisted that it would be ok.
all righty then...
I race by, grab my end of the rope (I had him tie it into a nuce) and hook it to the pulling cleat on the back of the new 1200 jetski. I picked up one of the guys from the boat at the same time, who was now treading water. Just when another set of breakers comes in...
Now I'm hearing in the background the sirens of lifeguards coming down the hill on the beach, the boarder patrol out in the water, tons of civilian boats. The lifeguard and coastguard were there a few minutes later.
anyway...so here I am trying my hardest on a 1200cc four-seater jetski to pull this 16' boat over these breakers straight out to calmer water and where the boarder patrol was waiting. I couldn't go left or right because the rocks pop up out of no-where - just way to dangerous.
The waves were just too huge. I would seemingly take one step forward and two steps back when a breaker would roll by. I think the boats motor may have hit a rock or something (yes, I told him to raise it but as usual he didn't listen to me).
Well, finally the waves were just to big and the guy I had picked up wiped out off the back of my jet-ski and the aluminum railing sheered off of the boat that I was pulling (people were just watching, including the authorities) to see if I could pull him out.
Next thing I know I'm short one man and pulling a really long rope weighted down by this railing that ripped off of the boat I was pulling.
One thing leads to another and next thing I know, I'm stuck in the middle of the breakers, with the railing being dragged at the end of the rope and caught on something. I was going nowhere and quick. My buddy finally decided to get some gonads and pick up the guy who wiped out off my jet-ski that I had picked up and lifeguards went in to get the guy off the boat, that was now clearly toast.
No knife, no nothing to cut this rope...and nobody paying attention to ME who now needs HELP!
Out of no-where, another jet-skier comes over, prolly because I'm just kicking it (actually in the water next to the jet-ski trying to un-tie this friggin rope) right square in the middle of these breakers. I scream at him as loud as I possibly can "I need a [bleep] knife!".
OMG! He had the biggest buck-knife I had ever seen and just in time! I Cut the rope and got the hell out of there! I would have been toast!
In the end, the guys were ok. I didn't stay around to see what happened to the boat. I figure it was toast. There was another sailboat still on the rocks that looked like it had crashed a few months ago.
First thing tomorrow: buy a pocket knife!
Sorry to be so long. I think I'm a tad flustered right now."
[This message has been edited by thaddeus (edited 04-03-2001).]
I thought that some here would be interested in this story that just happened where a stranger with a big knife saved a life, and someone discovered the virtues of carrying their own.
"I went jet skiing off of Point Loma today (a peninsula off San Diego in the Pacific). We were jumping the waves right off the rocks along with an old boat that had two guys on it.
All of the sudden the guys in the boat are in the middle of the HUGE breakers and screaming like hell for us (myself and a friend I was riding with) to come over there.
My friend is kinda new at riding in the surf and I had just rescued his hide maybe 15 min. earlier. He said for me to go because there was no way he was "going back in there".
So I race over to the boat to see what these guys are screaming about and it turns out their engine had died.
I tell them to tie a rope to the front eye-hook where the trailer connects and that I would be right back - I had to go ride away from these really HUGE breakers. (sorry guys). So I come back when the set was done and those idiots tied the rope to the front railing, on the bow instead. I yelled back for them to put it on the front eye hook and pointed to it. The boats caption clearly knew what I was talking about but insisted that it would be ok.
all righty then...
I race by, grab my end of the rope (I had him tie it into a nuce) and hook it to the pulling cleat on the back of the new 1200 jetski. I picked up one of the guys from the boat at the same time, who was now treading water. Just when another set of breakers comes in...
Now I'm hearing in the background the sirens of lifeguards coming down the hill on the beach, the boarder patrol out in the water, tons of civilian boats. The lifeguard and coastguard were there a few minutes later.
anyway...so here I am trying my hardest on a 1200cc four-seater jetski to pull this 16' boat over these breakers straight out to calmer water and where the boarder patrol was waiting. I couldn't go left or right because the rocks pop up out of no-where - just way to dangerous.
The waves were just too huge. I would seemingly take one step forward and two steps back when a breaker would roll by. I think the boats motor may have hit a rock or something (yes, I told him to raise it but as usual he didn't listen to me).
Well, finally the waves were just to big and the guy I had picked up wiped out off the back of my jet-ski and the aluminum railing sheered off of the boat that I was pulling (people were just watching, including the authorities) to see if I could pull him out.
Next thing I know I'm short one man and pulling a really long rope weighted down by this railing that ripped off of the boat I was pulling.
One thing leads to another and next thing I know, I'm stuck in the middle of the breakers, with the railing being dragged at the end of the rope and caught on something. I was going nowhere and quick. My buddy finally decided to get some gonads and pick up the guy who wiped out off my jet-ski that I had picked up and lifeguards went in to get the guy off the boat, that was now clearly toast.
No knife, no nothing to cut this rope...and nobody paying attention to ME who now needs HELP!
Out of no-where, another jet-skier comes over, prolly because I'm just kicking it (actually in the water next to the jet-ski trying to un-tie this friggin rope) right square in the middle of these breakers. I scream at him as loud as I possibly can "I need a [bleep] knife!".
OMG! He had the biggest buck-knife I had ever seen and just in time! I Cut the rope and got the hell out of there! I would have been toast!
In the end, the guys were ok. I didn't stay around to see what happened to the boat. I figure it was toast. There was another sailboat still on the rocks that looked like it had crashed a few months ago.
First thing tomorrow: buy a pocket knife!
Sorry to be so long. I think I'm a tad flustered right now."
[This message has been edited by thaddeus (edited 04-03-2001).]
