I survived my own incompetence…. again. well lets not be so harsh on me poor self. I gambled with a low hand and went broke. the good news is that except for $$$ moola and time, nobody lost their lives in this story, which could have happened, and I could get ran over tomorrow. but lets be straight that would most likely be out of my control. I really thought how I would present this adventure without blame, except at myself. this is another classic example of me being Me. shooting from the hip.  My quest started with wanting to buy a boat and be able to access my family lands on kodiak. I had looked at lots of boats, skiffs and was able to find a small boat that had potential. a 75 horse and a 4 horse. I was almost going to quit the quest after seeing the boat and meeting the owner a local kodiak resident we scheduled a test ride the next day. I brought along my daughter and my cousin fred simeonoff. Larry brought the boat to the  dog bay boat ramp, the outboard fired up right away. we idled out to the other side of the breakwater and the skiff did ok smooth as a baby, fred was almost jumping up and down saying how good this boat was for traveling to Uganik. I was concerned about the water streaming out of the steaming out of the transom, both larry and fred chimed in “that is the self bailing system working perfectly fine”.  something was saying NO that is not right, but i have heard that before…. the self bailing skiff, instead of a manual bailing skiff?  ok so remember that as it plays a critical part in this story.

I also need to speak on who is responsible again, ME ME ME. buyer beware owner beware. it is nobody, but mine. the buck stops here. when someone lies to me, there word always means less that if they have never lied. trust is earned, and that can earn some back, remember that too. so the test drive went well except for the trim seemig to get stuck.  so we made an off 2800 bones. we made the arrangement to pay, but then they wanted cash$$  so we got cash the next day we went to load the boat as i had no way to tow without a hitch larry brought the boat down the ramp. the outboard would not lower. larry got to work on it, I was ready to demand my money back, but knew he had the cards at that point, he did manage to troubleshoot the problem to a 50 amp fuse. so we parted ways with larry happy as a grinning Cheshire. we had a problem it came with a trailer, either I had to load the trailer and take it too Uganik or sell it, we sold it for  500 which made our pain a little less now only 2300 out of pocket. we tried to think of all the things we would need to make the trip and decided we needed 40 gallons to have some left to check out the Uganik properties. this was 6 5 gallon containers.  the weather looked favorable in the morning except a fog had se in and visibility was ok, but not great. the trip started pretty good, although I was thinking we took  spruce cape very wide, almost to the extreme, but I was used to going with my dad. I did not recognize as when it was not foggy. Fred on the other had was naming every inlet every cove even rock formations. I was impressed and he seemed to be doing a good job not kicking the shit out of the boat, I told him as we left he was going to captain the craft as he was my guest and he deserved all the glory.  He had mentioned it would take 3 hrs to get to Uganik, I was thinking more… so after it was clear we were headed to the Ouzinkie Narrows I was elated, no problem and heading into whale pass fred was even making more sense on coming in from the north side where we would be out of the hardest current  it was a breeze then we headed out kupreanof straight  the wind was blowing easterly giving us a following sea, which can be the most dangerous, but with not too much surf,  before this i had noticed that the gas tanks we had filled would be moving around when we took water over the sten, causing a potential for the bilge pump wires to be disconnected. I kept going back when we were underway and adjusting them so they would be clear, fred asked me to please stop doing that, was upsetting the balance. so we were in this following sea and fred kept trying to speed through  it as if he was on a race. more than 5 times. the whole sten would be swallowed up with water, yet he persisted in doing this, I should have taken control of the operation at this time, but my will to push on and my newly found confidence in fred overroad my common sense. we the surf was manageable and the wind was not too bad. we  could have easily done going slower until we got past outlook cape and headed the inside route. but alas, I just let him push through to disaster. as we took the last swamping the engine quit. we were in trouble, the water was half filled up, fred says, we have to beach her. we headed to the closest beach. we hit the beach the skiff was swamped, all  the tanks and all our stuff was floating.  Fred started telling me to call the coast guard, it was his theme from then on. the story changed on the great boat, it was now a piece of junk lake boat that did not do well in following seas. no boat does well when it is abused. we had slammed the boat way past what we should have, pushed it to sink. so anyway I started thinking it may sink, so started throwing everything ashore, the tide was now rising, the same thing that was going to propel us to uganik was now working to swallow us up. my first mission was to save the gear, we were on land so we were ok for now. the next thing was to see if we could save the boat, fred started saying the transom was flexing and the boat was toast. I just ignored his pleas and worked to turn the bow into the wind, then proceeded to use the emergency baler a device that looks like one of those things used to pickup tennis balls. but it seemed to be a losing cause. as i kept the bow into the surf and the sten on the beach i wondered if the boat was doomed, then I spotted the cooler a 10 gallon or so plastic ice cooler, i had been wishing i had 5 gallon buckets but the cooler looked promising, I started bailing and started to notice a difference, now I’m making headway, so after some concerted bailing I was able to get the boat high and dry. the surf was still bouncing in, I had fred steady the boat while I looked at the bilge pump, sure enough the wires had been dislodged by the floating debris. I could not trust fred to steady the boat while I fixed the wires, for one things none of this was his gear and he was not getting paid. I know he is my cousin, but I did not expect his to go above and beyond, I knew this was my deal. he can be competent to a fault. anyway I told him to re hook up the wires while I steaded the boat, for one thing the wires were just crimped with those chintzy wire crimps, if I were to use this system again I would surely use solder and heat shrink no crimping wtf is this standard, again I should have check all these wires but more important secure the decks. i as at my wits end when it took fred more than a few min to see that it was just one wire. I know patience my son.  he did a good job after I told him what to do. not reuse the crimp but strip the wires and wrap them up. he did a good job wiring and having the wires out of the water using only duct tape. I forgot the electrical tape, another undersight. oversight sightless hahhahaha  anyway there is more. so while I was unloading the boat I thought I need to take out the key, why I have no idea, I was not in a blind panic, but for some reason, I did this and put it in one of my pockets. the key was hooked to a yellow floatation ring, well while throwing all the stuff up the beach I took off my outer layers, sweating like a pig I was. so after we go the boat bilge wires fixed, I thought was the hell did I do with the keys, as we would need the keys to start the outboard. I looked through my pockets, as I was still trying to keep the bow into the surf and wind, I had fred help me a few times, but he would start to complain almost  on a timer, I knew I had to act fast. well I had my prescription ray bans also in my pockets and found them put them back in the pockets, but never found the keys, I found everything else but those glasses and the key. so now I had to hotwire the boat. I did not tell fred, I had to gain my composure and get warm, I was in a constant shiver from holding the boat in the surf. fred then again ask me to turn on the zoleo emergency beacon. I did get on my handheld vhf radio after connecting to my starlink and leaving my daughter a message, I had charged my phone the night before, but it was dead and my backup phone, my sarah tells me that a phone can go dead trying to connect to a non existent network, o h damn, and I did not bring my charging cord, which could be charged with my power pack, that is used for ac to power the starlink. fred was said he was unable to connect to the  “entitled” network, which was my starlink. Fred confronted me with we have no key call the coast guard. I told him I did not think we were in peril or fear of death, but if he wanted to I would not object, I told him I would rather die that call the coast guard, I have to admit I was being somewhat sarcastic, as I was trying to save my stuff and the boat, Fred seemed elated, like it he was brimming with happiness. just my darkside empathy shining through. anyway I left my daughter a voicemail that I was broke down at outlet cape, but am not in danger. the phone went dead. I was worried she would not get the full message and panic. so I made a vhf plea to deaf ears except a vague response to radio check, then dead air. so i have a plan now. the bilge fixed the tide had come full course, I had though of throwing out the ANCHOR AND LETTING it float the tide out, but was unsure how i could drag the anchor and boat back to shore. we had 2 plastic aluminum oars, I will never use these kinds again, bull size oars with oar locks. one paddle is next to useless.  intermission: I remember when we were in Uganik, as a kid my dad was off drinking who knows where and teddy pestrikoff was taking us back to east point. the outboard quit and he rowed us home to our tents on the east point fish camp.

so my plan was to get off the beach and continue the journey with a newly wired bilge pump. fred protested saying we have no key. I told him no problem I will hotwire it. I had no idea at that time how. early I asked fred to make a fire and like a solder he is, he had flames and a fire. I had a torch and fire starter so it was quick work, I was chilled to the bone. bone cold steve austin. hahahah jk. but I was in no shape to escape yet, I worked on the fire. it was blowing pretty good and I estimated at this rate our fire would burn up all our wood. so I kept trying to put up a fire break, even using the bailer, I mean cooler, which started to melt. I was able to get some decent logs. to block some wind. I got all my wet clothes off, my boots xtratufs were suctioned to my feet, it was hard to get them off, but when I did it felt so good, like a nice hug from me sweet mary :)   I was still recouping when fred cornered me saying it going to get dark soon we will have to wait. he was right, I think or we had to wait until it was light. we decided to get cracking at least get it hotwired. fred was already trying to get the shifter apart, but would not detach, first thing i tried to just twist the ignition, no worky, then I removed the electrical sheathing, but had no idea which wires to jump, just make a mess, well I knew I had to punch the ignition lock. a few well placed rock and screwdriver hits did the trick, FRed was elated, how you know how to do that, I been working on my junkers since I could drive. mechanics been ripping me off my whole life, so now the tide is going out were 20 ft from the water. I had already gathered up a couple of fulcrum boards, we tested moving the bow downhill with success then fred got the super fulcrum. we pushed the boat down the beach like clockwork. it was sandy and steep.  it was getting dark, but we were determined. so we got to the water, the waves were crashing in waves, not bad but enough to cause trouble, I was considering going naked to be able to stay dry, but at the last moment opted to go waist deep in the water to get a good shove off the beach. I got a good push and clammored aboard. well guess what dummies. the motor just went chink chink. I grabbed the oars and told fred to put the new battery in. i kept up paddling off the beach and out of trouble and fred got the new battery on, the engine fired up no problem. we were off. I pleaded with fred to take it easy we are in no hurry to get back into trouble. we were in the same bad following sea but fred had it mastered at a nice clip, no push no water wheelie. we were on cloud nine. fred says where we going to grampas?  then our worlds dropped out. maybe it was going to happen anyway, but the fuel line was getting sucked up. I tried to pump the bulb but it was collapsed no pressure like the outboard was sucking the life out of it. I was  sure the filter was clogged. fred worked on it but not sure it was the correct way. or if  we even had the right tools.  we gave up on that. when we tried to use the little outboard it was locked into the bracket and we could not get it. I tried to hold the light for fred but both of us on the stern caused us to take on water.   I broke one of the oars but continued to paddle out of the shelikof, we were making headway into the safety of the bay. but the thought crossed my mind that if that bilge quit or used up the battery, we would have to swim to shore, I asked fred if he could make it. he said no. I then told him to push the zoleo button if he wanted to. he did. and the thing started signalling the stars. we had some lights on board and tried to get the attention of some passing tender boats, but either they were oblivious or had no intention of helping stupid boaters. I had a plan to make it into safe harbor or  a beach and get the small one running or fix the plugged fuel line. i never stopped paddling. I spotted a light on the  south side of Uganik island it looked like a ghost, jumping like a frog or was my mind going mad. it seemed odd. fred says he sees both red and green, which means it is headed straight for us. i have to say I was relived beyond relief. I knew I had to push on, but I was spent, shivering. fred’s prayer had been answered FRed never waivered in his prayers. He even did a requested our father prayer. we were saved by a landing craft captained by paul, they tried to side tow us first. fred asked to get aboard and the paul said leaver the boat here? I had no intention of that, but after hooking a line in the sten then changing to the bow were were being saved and in the galley of the landing craft the crew was gracious and gave us coffee even offered food. very impressed with the young deckhand, he even gave me some custom heat, as i only wanted heat and coffee, fred gave a full report to captain paul. after we got close top port bailey and before whale pass they loaded the minnow up on the front of the landing craft ramp, pulling it aboard with come alongs. great work. they used a forklift and straps to put it in city storage. I could not sell so I gave the boat away.

I have dark thoughts but they are only that, I would not be straight up if I did not speak my darkest thoughts that my cousin was less that helpful and perhaps more than negligent in is handling of the boat, sank on purpose? its  a stretch maybe. but my little thinker…. the whole its self bailing in unison, or the experience of a man that has lived and fished kodiak over 18 years, along with the great boat to horrible boat.

these are only thoughts that even if they were true, I was responsible fred followed all my instructions.  this is not a self bailing skiff it is on a bilge pump dependant on the battery and wires.