A Creepy Ending to an Otherwise Great Week

[MJBrown]

wingNwing, no fortunately we were hanging out in our slip in Baltimore. I think if we found another floater my wife would make me sell the boat. The guy we found on Easter weekend was in the Delaware River half way between the Delaware Memorial Bridge and the C&D Canal. We were out on the bay when the latest guy (there were 2) you referred to went in the water. I think one jumped off a bridge and the other fell off a fishing boat. His buddy turned to talk to him and he was gone without a trace. A young guy with a family from what I heard. Damned shame.
Mike

[SVAuspicious]

A little out of the area, but our most recent grounding (we call it sailing by braille) was in Allen's Cay in the Exumas. We were circling friends to anchor respectfully downwind and bumped then bumped hard and stopped. We had sundowners out already (feeling cocky) and had to put everything away. Launch the dinghy off the foredeck, mount the engine, hang the bower off the custom lashing on the dinghy transom, dump all the chain into a bucket in the dink, and head for deep water. Our friends were astonished that we had the anchor in the water 200' out in less than 20 minutes. They asked how we moved so fast ... "we're gunkholers - we do this all the time." *grin*

The fact that I had a ready-made lashing for the 55# Rocna to use it as a kedge should have been a hint.

[PalmettoSailor]

Originally Posted by wingNwing

Um, actually, I think the skipper of the boat that found the body was just really shaken up. And Dave (Auspicious) had it right with the weird back-and-forth about whether he was going to stay with the body.

MJBrown, you were there too?

I wasn't out the day the body was found. I was refering to the MD State Police Hele taking someone off a ship. English was clearly a second language for the Captain who was coordinating with the USCG and State Police.

[erps]

Originally Posted by Fstbttms

Once, about 10 or 12 years ago, I was driving across the Richmond-San Rafael Bridge and I saw a woman jump off. I pulled over, called CalTrans from a call box and they contacted the CHP who, in turn, called the Coast Guard. The Coasties requested that I spot the body for them from the bridge, since I had binoculars with me. I had to watch that woman float towards the Golden Gate for the better part of an hour, until the chopper and rescue craft got to her. Right before Christmas too. Ruined that day for me and a few more besides.

Holy cow! That must have been awful. I'm puzzled on why she floated though. Air pockets in the clothing?

I talked to a diver about a body recovery detail from a plane crash in the San Juans several years ago. They recovered the body in water around 80' deep and bagged it down below so they could be somewhat discreet when they brought it up. Well, it was a little more difficult to swim with the bag than they anticipated, so a rookie stuck his regulator inside the bag and gave it a couple squirts of air to make the bag more buoyant. As they ascended, physics took over. The air in the bag expanded and started rising faster than the divers wanted to ascend. They let go. The crew in the rescue boat said the bag popped out of the water like a breaching whale and nobody was happy about it. The divers got their butts chewed out. It was still a good story though.

[erps]

A little out of the area, but our most recent grounding (we call it sailing by braille)

Sounds like a sailor I can drink a beer with. Anyone who starts out a story with the phrase "our most recent grounding" is man with integrity.........and high insurance rates.

[aa3jy]

Originally Posted by erps

Sounds like a sailor I can drink a beer with. Anyone who starts out a story with the phrase "our most recent grounding" is man with integrity.........and high insurance rates.

Not really..if one hasn't gone aground in the Bay..then one hasn't been on the Chesapeake...

[WanderingStar]

Or the ICW, or the Great South Bay....

[Bene505]

I would not be comfortable with someone at the helm, unless they'd run aground at least once. It makes one pay more attention.

It sounds like a wonderful get together (the last part aside). We need a Long Island sound get-together.

(WS - let's have a mid-winter meet-up out in the sound.)

Regards,
Brad

[SVAuspicious]

Originally Posted by erps

Sounds like a sailor I can drink a beer with. Anyone who starts out a story with the phrase "our most recent grounding" is man with integrity.........and high insurance rates.

Happy to meet up with you any time. Insurance doesn't have anything to do with it ... I'm much more careful around rocks than sand and mud. *grin* Paranoia is high in Swedish waters for example. Every time I left the dock I was told "don't hit the stones" in that unmistakable accent.