A tale of caution for boaters

I was a beautiful spring morning, sunny, calm, a perfect day for fishing and boating. We launched about 8:00 AM, excited about trying out my new pontoon boat. By noon it started to rain a little, no problem I always pack rain gear.

Snug and dry inside my foul weather gear I continued down river, confident that everything was protected..except my hands.

By 1:30 PM a stiff head wind comes up. Rowing hard to make headway against the wind my body core was hot and sweating, but my exposed hands were numb with cold. By the time I got to the takeout I had completly lost the use of my hands.

My fishing buddy actually had to remove my waders and dig the car keys out of my pocket. I couldn't even hold on to the keys. If the takeout had been 20 minutes futher down stream I don't think I could have made it. I was completly unable to grip an oar much less row.

I now have an extra pair of neoprene gloves that live on the boat.

I can relate to your incident, being a boat owner myself. It seems I learned many things the Hard Way. We can't be too prepared.
I'm glad your OK!
Doug

If possible it's a good idea to launch below your tageted spot and move against current/wind. This way is something untoward would happen one can simply drift back to the point of landing.
One of the first boating lessons I have learned.

I find that, as I get older, I'm really losing my ability to keep my hands warm. Like the gent that started the thread, I can end up numb and out of commission. Up here (Manitoba, Canada), where we really only get about three months of warm weather, this can really cut into fishing opportunities! Anybody have any workable solutions that keep your hands reasonably warm and dry, and still able to handle a fly rod?. Neoprene has been a disappointment, but maybe I'm buying cheap stuff..TIM

I have some fishing gloves that are a combination of neoprene and fleece, I think they are 'Kenia' brand. More flexible than the neoprene I think they allow for better circulation. A buddy of mine likes to use the rubber gloves sold for dishwashing over a light fleece glove.

I'm not able to actually keep my hands dry while fishing, too much reaching into the water for fish or dropped objects. Instead I am trying to give my hands something insulating and warm so they can recover after a dunking.

You might try some of the disposable hand warmers used by skiers. These are little paper packets of iron fillings and electrolites than heat up when exposed to air, the cost about $1.25 a pair and generate heat for 6-8 hours. Avialable at most ski shops. They are small enough to fit inside your gloves, some ski gloves even have a little pocket built in for a hand warmer.

I only forgot to put the plug in the boat :shock:

Be carefull when anchoring , a strong current can actually pull the boat under very quickly if the anchor is too tight and the anchor rode is too short.
always have a quick method of releasing the anchor, even if you have to panic cut the line.

Never have the anchor point amidships as this can cause the boat to be pulled over in a roll.

Of course the #1 rule is Wear your life preserver don't sit on it.