NFL Players demise at sea

[creech]

I heard one part of the story that said the boat was anchored when the coast guard found it. If I've not been misled nearly my entire life I would have to say that was probably the reason the boat wound up capsizing. This is a terrible tragidy and my heart goes out to all involved. I hope that others can learn from the many mistakes made by these gentlemen. Just because you might have the money to buy a boat doesn't mean you have the brains to opperate it safely.

[Jumptrout51]

Suber, I ain't lookin' for your nappy headed azz.
I'll wait for the buzzard trail.

[jsuber]

Don't Lie JT, you'd be forming the Posse, even if it was Mook.

And if there were 12 - 14 foot waves where I usually fish, then FSU would be 8 feet under water.

[Jumptrout51]

Don't Lie JT, you'd be forming the Posse, even if it was Mook.

And if there were 12 - 14 foot waves where I usually fish, then FSU would be 8 feet under water.

Actually I formed one this past year for a member in good standing.
The sucker showed up 4 hours late.
20 minutes before the posse was ready to ride.

No names are necessary. Can't blame a dude for getting on the fish and dropping his phone in the water so he could not call in late.

[birddog]

Don't Lie JT, you'd be forming the Posse, even if it was Mook.

And if there were 12 - 14 foot waves where I usually fish, then FSU would be 8 feet under water.

Actually I formed one this past year for a member in good standing.
The sucker showed up 4 hours late.
20 minutes before the posse was ready to ride.

No names are necessary. Can't blame a dude for getting on the fish and dropping his phone in the water so he could not call in late.

I remember that. Had the boat hooked up and everything, when the stand down order came in. Boy was his old lady pissed.

[lordsfisher]

So let me ask: You're stuck in 12' seas in a boat that's too small, despite your best planning. So what's the best way to weather it? Drop anchor and hold on? It doesn't apply to my type of fishing, but I'm just curious. If I went way offshore, I'd be trying to have some kind of small inflatable to keep me out of the water and make me easier to spot. An unexamined experience is a wasted one.

Out of respect for these families I don't want to second guess their decisions in this tragedy.

[big bend gyrene]

Natureboy, I'm with you on us all using questionable judgment in our younger days... Lord knows I pushed my luck in autos and boats more in my teens and early 20s than I have as I've moved past 30 and into my early 40s (my main fishing bud Sharkman might disagree, he still thinks I'm a bit crazy ).

BUT... also have to say as relates to boating, I sure would be more understanding if they had been out during summer weather and an offshore storm had blown up on them. HAVE had that happen more than once on days forecasted to be bluebird days... just part of summer fishing and I've learned the old adage better safe than sorry and don't tend to sit offshore too long when the summer boomer clouds are really building up.

But in this case, seems like they must not have had radios, televisions, or internet access while on land and planning their trip as the rough conditions they faced HAD been forecasted well in advance and the forecasts were pretty spot on. Just think this was either a case of ignorance (not bothering to look in advance) OR too much youthful testosterone, and again can sympathize with that last one... remember finishing USMC boot camp at 6'3" and the whopping weight of 165 and I swear I would have fought Mike Tyson in a heart beat ... sincerely sad it doesn't look like three of the four are going to have the chance to gain some of the wisdom age does bring .

[jsuber]

So let me ask: You're stuck in 12' seas in a boat that's too small, despite your best planning. So what's the best way to weather it? Drop anchor and hold on? It doesn't apply to my type of fishing, but I'm just curious. If I went way offshore, I'd be trying to have some kind of small inflatable to keep me out of the water and make me easier to spot. An unexamined experience is a wasted one.

Out of respect for these families I don't want to second guess their decisions in this tragedy.

Take a gander at this. http://www.docksidereports.com/rough_wa ... ship_1.htm

[bman]

Noticed these photos of the rig on Yahoo...
I was under the wrong impression it was a flats boat.



This is not a little boat in my world... I know its not a big boat but its not little.
Some more photos: http://news.yahoo.com/nphotos/NFL-playe ... 85efd2e7b/

To recap what a lot of you guys have said...
We would come lookin for you.
Why did they go out in such bad weather?
Its going to make me think twice when someone says trust me its ok...

[Frank Bradfield]

Its almost always the 20-21ft bay boats that this happens to. You just can get overconfident in smaller boats. If your running offshore in bay type boats you should bail on the first sign of bad weather and bad seas. There will be better days !

[MudDucker]

I go the devil scared out of me as a kid when we went out of Mexico Beach on a near calm day and returned 8 hours later surfing the boat into the cut on a nearly 20 foot breaker. Since then, with one exception, if I was out in bad weather, it was because there was a sudden un-forecasted change. The on occassion was with a bud in his brand new whaler some 20 years or so ago. However, although we went down the coast some 10 miles, we were never more than 3 miles off of the beach. When it didn't lay down, I threatened to knock him over the head if he didn't turn toward port. The last time, I had WAM in the boat. The radar painted no end of a storm, but WAM didn't want to go back in and questioned my man hood. I offered him a life jacket and a rod'n reel, but told him the boat was going to port. He beotched the whole day asking why I had a boston whaler if I was gonna run from rough weather. Of course, he is alive today to beotch.

[wevans]

So let me ask: You're stuck in 12' seas in a boat that's too small, despite your best planning. So what's the best way to weather it? Drop anchor and hold on? It doesn't apply to my type of fishing, but I'm just curious. If I went way offshore, I'd be trying to have some kind of small inflatable to keep me out of the water and make me easier to spot. An unexamined experience is a wasted one.

Out of respect for these families I don't want to second guess their decisions in this tragedy.

I have been caught of guard in my G3 only a few times with the worst being 3 to 4 foot seas "UGLY FOR A BASS BOAT"!! I did what my dad always taught me, I rode the back of the waves, never going into the trough except to quarter the wave and get on track to the hill so far the I've been lucky "and a tad bit smart" with the wave direction. If there is a chance that conditions will detiriate on me, I always fish to the South/SE of the landing because if the waves are going to build fast on me, it will be from that direction when fishing out of Mashes Sands "and I can ride em in, as opposed to heading into them" overall, I try to use common sense and not go off shore if there is a chance of rough weather, but we all make a bad decision from time to time It took me just over two hours to travel the 8 miles to shore the day I got caught in the big waves, but I did make it by using common sense and not getting in a hurry

PS: I would only drop anchore as a last resort in really high seas!!

[Sir reel]

Even Boston Whaler's are tough to stay with when they're upside down!! It's also my understanding that the weather wasn't all that bad when they went out but turned ugly around mid afternoon. How many times have folks from here gone out because NOAA has missed so many forcasts.

"You don't know unless Ya Go".

How many folks have had their anchor hung in some rocks and kept trying to get it up rather than loose it while the weather continued to go bad. How many of us have stuffed the life jackets under the deck because we carry them just in case we get checked by the man and of course we'll put em on if it get's bad won't we (there's always time isn't there). Is there a possiblility that some of us are being a bit critical of these folks when it could have been some of us.... I have to admit that I continued to fish a couple of years ago during a tournament and just after some storms went through, trying to get that 5th trout and the static charge in the air kept the lines hanging 4-5 ft in the air over the water. I won't mention any names, but I recall a post a few years ago just after I joined this forum, where one of our folks was running from some weather after having been out a ways and experienced the wind picking up his boat as he was going over some waves making him a "real airboat" for a short time and coming very close to flipping over. We participate in a recreational activity that has very real risks. Lets all remind ourselves of that....cause I would just as soon not have to go looking for anyone or be the one you folks go looking for. (silent pause.... as I step down off the crate)

[Tennessee]

I have thought about going out for Grouper in Stienhatchee with my 21 ft. Ranger Bass boat, but I do not know about that now. I was going to make sure I had a radio and all, I have two Gps units on board, and can take a compus. Was this a bad idea to even think about it.

[Flint River Pirate]

Of course, he is alive today to beotch.

Thank you for bringing WAM home safe to us!