irishfield

We all had that invincible age Glen. They make good kneeling cushions.

I need to type this, so that it really sinks into my own brain as to just how close we came to disaster this weekend. Haven't had time for pictures..but may renew the thread later in September with those, if I remember. Just need to get this off my chest and hope it instills a bit of fear in others here....as we all need a kick in the shins once in a while. I've travelled this section of the lake many times now and have never seen it like this and with some recent members trips to the lake in power boats that would have been swamped in what we went thru Sunday, and others that I've heard of flipping boats over the last month I need to drive it home to myself if nothing else. My 19 year old daughter wanted one last memorable trip, with her friends, before heading off to University in Ottawa for another year. Well she got it! With minimal planning and a hasty departure for Temagami, from Midland, her and her 4 friends arrived at 2 PM on Friday. We picked them up at the marina and brought them back to the cottage after collecting a neighbours canoe for them to use along with ours. We feed them a meal...went thru all their stuff to see what they were missing...like a wind up flashlight..coleman lantern, firepit grill, etc and with the day getting late I offered to tow both EMPTY canoes behind the boat on 50 foot ropes. Best we could do was about 19MPH without flipping them and at that plow speed and the weight of 7 and gear in the boat burned about 25 gallons of fuel getting them to a nice site way up the North Arm of Lake Temagami and about 6 gallons coming back. "So what" I thought $180 to give the kids a vacation before hitting the books. We got them set up on a beautiful site at Devil Point where they could watch a beautiful sunset, paddle around the corner to hike Devil Mountain and do the other things 19 to 21 year olds do. Leah and I left them when we knew they'd brought all their tent pieces and had a fire going to cook their supper and blasted down the lake at dusk, with that comfortable feeling all was well. They wanted to get the most out of their 2 days, so we made a deal with all of them that they were to be on the same point for pick up Sunday at 4PM OR CLOSER TO HOME at a couple other campsites... that we'd scouted on the way up. Sunday comes and the wind is a tad brisk. When I say brisk I'm talking 20 GUSTING 40 MPH! I decided to leave a little early, as I knew it would be a LITTLE choppy going up the North East Arm for it's 12 or 13 miles...then 7 miles or so more up the North Arm with a South/East wind on our tail. Choppy didn't describe it...4 foot swells with 6 foot oddball waves mixed in. Best I could do from the Broom Islands to the Hub was 8 MPH, in a 22 foot boat with 275 HP on the back. We passed a 17 foot Glastron, similar to what I had last year, that was at best doing 2 MPH and tried to help him get in behind us and he couldn't do it...so we had to leave him to the elements...while we looked back constantly to see him finally make Ship Island safely. His boat was totally disappearing and thank god he had the full top done up. While we pounded thru this nightmare I kept at the throttle trying to do the best speed I could, even with Leah flying off the captains chair more than once and putting waves over my full stand up top and up and under my bow cover like someone was hitting us with a firehose from the casting deck. I said 4PM pickup and I would be there at 4 PM even if I had to race over the tops of these things...and that's just because I'm one of those that ALWAYS has to be ON time....not knowing that my anal retentiveness would be life saver. We watched the shoreline for the "kids" as we headed up the shoreline all the way from Kokoko Bay to Devil Point where we had left them. They weren't there! Deal was "pickup there or closer to home" so while I was trying to turn the boat around in 4/5 footers thankfully the wind took one more good kick at the freeboard.... as we went well past the point doing the turn and at the same time watched in horror as one of their canoes was flipped and the other swamped about 2000 feet up the shoreline NORTH of where they were supposed to be...not South. They had gone to Devil Mountain and realized it had a nicer campsite and moved. They were then smart enough to realize that I wouldn't be looking for them over there so were trying to get back to Devil Point for pick up. Fully loaded canoes, three in one...two in the other and of course 4 out of 5 PFD less. Thank God I'm a time freak and all my kids know that, because if they had of been earlier and I had of been even 5 minutes later there may very well have 4 or 5 drownings in Lake Temagami on Sunday afternoon. I found out PDQ that a 2150 Baron will bridge a couple 4 foot waves at a time at 40MPH not caring if a shoal was in the way or not between us or them. I say possibly 5 drowning, as with most drowings... you hear of some parent going barrelling into the water to save their child and that was Leah before I'd even seen her depart ship. We managed to get everyone in the boat...saved all their gear except for a lost pair of sunglasses, a small tackle box with a handfull of lures and my firepit grate. I don't know how...but everyones cameras and cell phones still work we plucked them so fast. I am not looking forward to seeing what the bottom of my new boat looks like when it hits the trailer later this month.... as we spent a good hour motors up and hull pounding on the "river rock" shoreline while we loaded everything and then ditched the canoes in the woods. Going back down the lake wasn't as bad as we were going over the waves and not into them...but we were still busting waves over the cover and only managing about 20MPH at the best of times. Everyone was soaked head to toe from the swimming expedition, but "someone" was nice enough to at least make it an 18*C day or we would have had a serious hypothermia issue on our hands. Got back to the cottage about 7PM and stuck everyone into the hot tub to get core temps back up. Feed them, laughed a bit, cried a bit and then tucked them into the truck for the drive back home. Leah and I had to go back to the cottage and switch boats and then go back to the marina...putting us about an hour behind them in my truck...or so I thought. Guess that experience installed a bit of fear...as we caught up with them by the time we hit Parry Sound at 124/400 and my daughter usually has a heavy foot. I still have to retrieve the canoes this weekend, if they haven't been stolen. Total cost of this outing $180 dropping them off.....about the same getting them or more and another $150 or so to get the canoes this weekend. If they aren't there I"m out about 5 grand to buy the neighbour and Leah new canoes. All I can say is I made the right decission buying the boat I did, because if I had of had anything smaller it wouldn't be an ending we can laugh about for years. No matter the cost of the boat, the fact it got me there on time is priceless and even if we had of destroyed it doing so it would still be worth it. If I still had my 17' Glastron...well I think I'd have some funerals this week and some lawsuits on my hands, and I needed to share this so it never happens again to us or anyone on OFC. Nobody will leave my cottage to go canoe or hike, outside of cell coverage......which is pretty much none existant from the Hub of the lake North, without a Satelitte phone. Having one would have saved this near tragedy, as they could have called from Devil Mountain and stayed put. They wouldn't have felt the need to get back to the pick up point no matter what the weather if they could have just called and said "we are around the corner at the mountain face". Cheers, Wayne

Looks great Pam and WELL worth the wait for us that knew it was all in motion. Lew, I'm glad that we, the OFC'rs, (with Joey, Pete and Pam's footwork) could add that glimps of "yesteryear" to your home, to bring a smile and/or tear to your eye as you reflect on memories with your best friend. I know what a great feeling it is to share a boat with you for even a day....I'm sure Eddie enjoyed your company as much as you enjoyed his. Cheers, Wayne

When you are in loaded Canoes....don't try paddling to your pick up point in 4 foot swells...the odd 6 footer...so you can be at the agreed pick up point for your father on time. Sit put..or two go in an empty canoe to the agreed pick up to direct to where the gear is stashed. Almost lost our 19 year old daughter and her 4 friends on Sunday afternoon. Thank God we had just rounded Devil Point in our 22 foot Lund as we watched in horror as one canoe get rolled and the other swamped. Thankfully I had left early for the pick up... as we could only push thru the entire 12 miles of the North East Arm of Lake Temagami at 16 MPH into these waves and we arrived at the exact agreed time....otherwise the outcome could have been very different. Needless to say all 7 of us ended up very wet...but everyone alive and I have two canoes to fetch from the bush in the next couple days. A few items lost to the depths of Lake T...but amazingly all electronic items still work.

Was great seeing you and Fern again Dan !!! Where are the real pictures of the trip....or are they posted over on ButtNakedHouseboaters.com...............

Great report Emil, looks like you had a great time. Thought you hadn't made it up....still waiting for you to call/drop by my dock!

Thanks for thinkin of me Mike the Pike.... Nobody called me....trying to get a cottage right now at Merlin for Dano and I ...15th to 18th ....and that Terry guy if he needs a spot.... Wayne Home for a day..

You hook one of our Canadian subs a little off course?

Thanks Mike... I knew your were...just supposably I'm the only Lund owner with a Monday boat (after the 48 hour company party)

"J.P. and Raf do Georgian Bay" has been my favourite for a couple years now.....

Maybe they embrodered(sp) it just for me SP! And Mike the Pike...I'm gone at sun up! The rest of the pics will have to wait to fall. Wayne

Yes Glen...through out the Bull...it has been a lucky boat with over 90% of our trips =ing fish caught. ..and NO...she's not holding her arms out like that fart in Ottawa.. I made my F-in-law release it...cause it was hooked outside the lips...ticked off or what...

I'll ask her when I get back in the morning......and THANKS!

Not dealer responsiblity. They come directly from Lund (well a clothing mfg in Toronto actually) as part of their spring catch offer.

Yuz right bud...word would be cavitate.... Opps

Beauty shots Dan! ..and what nummm nuts said

You can bring mine by Thorpe's in October Bud!

Andy...the hat (one only) was a "kind" offering since they can't currently provide us with the TWO leather jackets they owe us. As for the ride...to all that said I was going to miss the ride of my glass boat ....this (like yours) rides thru 2+ footers without even bouncing AT 50 MPH. I don't need to slow for boat wakes...it rides right over them. You don't even think you're going over 30MPH and find you're hitting over 45+. Can crank a full bank turn, trimmed up and not cavitate the prop...

We'll see what happens..don't hold your breath. Tomorrow will be my first water landing since last year..... Depending how that goes....

I've still got it T.J. ...somewhere. Is Monique going in with you? No promises as I think 2 of our kids are coming up next weekend..don't know yet for sure and Dano is going to be houseboating the lake that week as well.

Nobody ever tell you not to feed a wild animal ?? I know Monique does that every day...but... Looks like a great new home there T.J. Next weekend .... hmmmm ...wonder if the "renovation supervisor" will miss me for a few hours.....

"Thank you for buying a Lund boat..." OSER The hats been a great source of laughter around the marina. Be damned if I'll wear it...I just show it to people. In all seriousness, we've got all the bugs out of the boat and the Lund rep is buying me a brand new 70" Motorquide wireless for the bow. Still working on him for a fishing trip to the NW Territories for this nightmare. Still waiting on a couple parts from Lowrance that have been back ordered for 2 months and a new 50/200Hz tranducer that we waited 2 months from Lund and they sent a single 200 skimmer instead. For those that were at Lakair and watched me beat the s hit out of that 102C on the bow....we sent it back and got a brand new one. It froze exactly the same as the first and I found what it was was interference from the helm unit. The transducer cable was coiled amongst the wiring under the dash and the sonar pings fired RF thru the 12V wire to the bow. Seperating this mess fixed the problem...nothing wrong with the unit itself afterall. Warning to anyone that has Attwood/Swivel Eze power pedestals. Mine were all recalled because they have a cracking/splitting problem from overweight lads and new ones are being shipped N/C and you're to destroy the old ones....so also be cautious of "slightly used" pedestals coming up for sale in the classifieds! That all said....some thing is calling me...time to get back at it....

Great finding a gal and getting a fishing partner out of it ! Nice fish as a bonus...

That's about the only part of this whole thing I'll believe....she'll do anyone!

Probably Bud ! Probably...