A Real Doozy

Just about everyday out here something amazing happens. A great sail or surf or dive, spotting some wild looking bird, dolphins and whales and turtles, meeting someone and sharing a moment, all kinds of goodies. There's lots of mundane stuff, too. Chores and boat-work and repairs and all that junk. While we were in Bahia del Sol I had one of the more chaotic experiences of my life. A real doozy.

We'd finished all the chores in the first few hours on the dock. Amanda wasn't feeling so hot so I thought I'd get out of her hair and see if I could find some surf. One of the guides we have mentions surf on both sides of the entrance channel and on the bar. Bahia del Sol is an estuary, with a navigable opening, only really accessible to slow, deep sailboats at a high slack tide. Lots and lots of water moving in and out with the tides. When I got out to the channel and bar I wasn't really impressed with what I was seeing. Jumbled waves everywhere, not a lot of form to them, and they were popping up all over the place, making paddling into the right spot seem impossible. I noticed a few sets that looked better breaking a bit farther out and headed that way. After watching more waves that didn't look all that good and noticing how strong the current was I had mostly given up on getting in the water. Mother Nature had plans for me though. I hadn't seen any waves breaking in the spot I was, but either I drifted or a bigger set came in. About 30' away was a wave, headed right for me, stacking up and starting to curl. I tried to outrun it, make some space between us, hoping that I'd just get rushed along in the white water after it broke. Not my luck, caught up, flipped over, swamped in the surf, not good.

First I grabbed the surfboard and put on the leash so I didn't lose it and would have it to paddle in if I had to. Next I got on top of the upside-down dinghy, briefly I was reminded of it being similar to being in an upside down car. The engine had been gunned when I flipped and had screamed “WWWWaaaaaaaaaaaa” for about five seconds while upside down before cutting out. I was able to get hold of a line attached to the transom, loop it through the rope rail around the middle of the boat and flip it right-side up by standing and pulling on the far side. I got in and started rowing like hell. I didn't make it very far when another wave flipped me again. The adrenaline was definitely pumping now. This happened two more times before I had moved far enough in that only smaller waves were hitting me and not quite flipping me now, just giving me a wild ride. Then, salvation...a panga with three guys in it came close by and got me in tow. I'd resigned myself to a really long row to the beach and an even longer walk back to the marina to get someone to help me tow the dinghy there. I've never been so happy in my life than when I saw that dirty fishing boat.

The rest of the day involved taking apart and cleaning the carburetor and various other parts of the outboard, changing the oil and spark plug, feeling like a dummy, explaining my idiocy to Amanda, and feeling a little bit of triumph when the engine started right up with a puff of smoke and ran fine. I gave the guys who helped me some cash and a gallon of gasoline that they needed. They helped me big-time and I tried my best to let them know how grateful I was.

The whole thing was about five minutes of chaos. I lost the dinghy anchor, a portable VHF radio, the cowling to the outboard and my hat, all easily replaceable. The most poignant feeling I can recall from the whole thing was when the wave had flipped me and I came to the surface; I'd gone so long without really messing something up bad, and right then I knew I'd messed up pretty bad. My judgment had seriously failed me. I still felt it the next day, but its starting to fade now and I'm sure that soon my mojo will return. I'm a tiny bit grateful for Amanda's cold, she could have been hurt if she'd gone along. She bangs herself up enough just bumping into things on the boat, the last thing she needs is to be flipped over in one.