Results 1 to 7 of 7
  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mammoth
    Posts
    433

    Angry $7,000 one day boat trip?? or Why I missed the M-mini

    So we had the great plan.
    My buddies would leave in the boat (18ft Bayliner) from Santa Barbara harbour, while I would go shop and get a campsite at Gaviota. It's a 2 hour plus boat ride to The Ranch; Gaviota is only a half hour from The Ranch. We figured if we anchored at Gaviota we could hope back in the boat the next morning and just motor up real quick without wasting gas and time going back and forth all the way from the harbour.
    Got to The Ranch on saturday to find nice 4-6ft south swell rolling through at Cojo. The point was peeling nice but had anywhere from 5-15 guys going in an out of the line-up from different boats. We kept seeing the outer reef going off w/ nobody out; so me and my friend suit up and paddle over to the reef. The next 2 hours was excellent! Just the 2 of us surfing these great head high+ waves for lenghts of up to 200yds. The tide finally started coming up and we paddled back to the boat for lunch. Within half hour the reef totaly shut down because of the tide. We were laughing at how good and empty it was, and now it was pretty much gone.
    An hour later and we were rested and ready for the point. It was about 3:00 pm and some side-offshore wind had picked up, which sent alot of the crowd home. 4-6 guys sharing long waves the threw out over the inside ledge making for some deep tubes that were hard to make out. Around 6:00 we packed it up at motored the short trip back to the campground were all the comforts were waiting.
    I got dropped of at the ladder on the pier w/ all our dry goods and clothes while the boys anchored the boat and paddled in on their boards. My surfboards, wetsuit and gear were still on the boat.
    After a few beers and as the sun was setting, we noticed that the offshore were really starting to howl out off the canyon. My bro figures he should check on his boat. We joke about how it's probably half way to the Channel Islands by now. He says his wife would kill him if it disappeared. 2 of us are drinking our beers as he comes running back up, "Dude it's gone! It's fucking drifting out to sea! Fuck! Fuck!" He starts talking about trying to paddle out to it but it is already a half mile out and it's going to be dark soon. We tell him we don't want to loose a life, don't do it. The boat will drift and someone will spot it and call the Coast Gaurd. All he can say is how it's gone; it will wash up on the islands; it will be stripped by Island divers; and on and on. Says he has to call his wife and tell her right away. We say wait a day or two. He calls, she freaks. I say "tell her we didnt loose anybody just material things" After all his $5,000 boat, my $1,500 worth of gear and our friends one back up board could all be replaced.
    Needles to say Sunday was spent picking up camp, looking out to sea on the way to the harbour down 101 and watching our friend mope. Not much we could do but wait for word from the C.G.. Decide to head back home. Should've stayed in Mammoth for the mini.

    Here is the kicker. My friend calls late last night and says the boats back! It had drifted 13 miles out to sea and was spotted by a cargo ship who reported the location. Towed back to harbour, dirty but fine w/ everything aboard! All that hassle for nothing, sheesh and now his old lady is threating to pull his surf boat trip card.
    Good Karma,neh?
    Gave up on the bottle, give me the lobotomy.

  2. #2
    Join Date
    Oct 2005
    Location
    retired
    Posts
    586
    try just a bit to make it readable. look it's easy just randomly create paragraphs. thanks.

    Quote Originally Posted by mountainbored
    So we had the great plan.
    My buddies would leave in the boat (18ft Bayliner) from Santa Barbara harbour, while I would go shop and get a campsite at Gaviota. It's a 2 hour plus boat ride to The Ranch; Gaviota is only a half hour from The Ranch.

    We figured if we anchored at Gaviota we could hope back in the boat the next morning and just motor up real quick without wasting gas and time going back and forth all the way from the harbour.

    Got to The Ranch on saturday to find nice 4-6ft south swell rolling through at Cojo. The point was peeling nice but had anywhere from 5-15 guys going in an out of the line-up from different boats. We kept seeing the outer reef going off w/ nobody out; so me and my friend suit up and paddle over to the reef.

    The next 2 hours was excellent! Just the 2 of us surfing these great head high+ waves for lenghts of up to 200yds. The tide finally started coming up and we paddled back to the boat for lunch. Within half hour the reef totaly shut down because of the tide. We were laughing at how good and empty it was, and now it was pretty much gone.

    An hour later and we were rested and ready for the point. It was about 3:00 pm and some side-offshore wind had picked up, which sent alot of the crowd home. 4-6 guys sharing long waves the threw out over the inside ledge making for some deep tubes that were hard to make out. Around 6:00 we packed it up at motored the short trip back to the campground were all the comforts were waiting.

    I got dropped of at the ladder on the pier w/ all our dry goods and clothes while the boys anchored the boat and paddled in on their boards. My surfboards, wetsuit and gear were still on the boat.

    After a few beers and as the sun was setting, we noticed that the offshore were really starting to howl out off the canyon. My bro figures he should check on his boat. We joke about how it's probably half way to the Channel Islands by now. He says his wife would kill him if it disappeared.

    2 of us are drinking our beers as he comes running back up, "Dude it's gone! It's fucking drifting out to sea! Fuck! Fuck!" He starts talking about trying to paddle out to it but it is already a half mile out and it's going to be dark soon. We tell him we don't want to loose a life, don't do it. The boat will drift and someone will spot it and call the Coast Gaurd.

    All he can say is how it's gone; it will wash up on the islands; it will be stripped by Island divers; and on and on. Says he has to call his wife and tell her right away. We say wait a day or two. He calls, she freaks. I say "tell her we didnt loose anybody just material things" After all his $5,000 boat, my $1,500 worth of gear and our friends one back up board could all be replaced.

    Needless to say Sunday was spent picking up camp, looking out to sea on the way to the harbour down 101 and watching our friend mope. Not much we could do but wait for word from the C.G.. Decide to head back home. Should've stayed in Mammoth for the mini.

    Here is the kicker. My friend calls late last night and says the boats back! It had drifted 13 miles out to sea and was spotted by a cargo ship who reported the location. Towed back to harbour, dirty but fine w/ everything aboard! All that hassle for nothing, sheesh and now his old lady is threating to pull his surf boat trip card.
    Good Karma,neh?

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Sep 2001
    Location
    portland of the west
    Posts
    4,083
    who let the newspaper editor in here?

    shit sounds crazy johnny. hope you had fun.
    fine

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mammoth
    Posts
    433
    An adventure to say the least; lot of crap for one good day of surf but hell I'll remember that surf session for ever! Thanks.
    Gave up on the bottle, give me the lobotomy.

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Mar 2004
    Location
    West Coast of the East Coast
    Posts
    7,737
    So even the anchors on Bayliners are crap?

    Glad to see it wasn't a sinking. When I first read "Bayliner" I was certain that would be how it ended. Sounds like a hell of an adventure, with a happy ending.

  6. #6
    Join Date
    Oct 2003
    Location
    Devils Whorehouse
    Posts
    1,257
    Quote Originally Posted by mountainbored
    An adventure to say the least; lot of crap for one good day of surf but hell I'll remember that surf session for ever! Thanks.
    was wondering how you got access to the ranch? back in junior high, I got to come along on a trip with an O.K.'d invitation to travel by dry land and camp at the ranch for some amazing surf
    Whoa, what you gotta say?? Whoa, girls turn 18 every day!!!
    --Vandals

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2004
    Location
    Mammoth
    Posts
    433
    The Ranch= $360,000 country club surfing; and that's JUST for access!!
    Joey, off chance, did you ever live in Mammoth and know a guy name Waddy?

    And the final cost was $1,000 bucks to get the boat and gear back. The guy who towed it in said "abondend boats are free game. It's mine and it's gonna cost you to buy it back." Damn open ocean laws.
    Gave up on the bottle, give me the lobotomy.

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