My first helicopter ride

Two years ago during Bikes Blues and BBQ there was a company giving helicopter rides, I had never been on a helicopter but am too cheap to pay the rates they charge to ride in a dinky little aircraft, besides, Coast Guard helicopters are way cooler.

After being anchored near Horn Island for almost three days I had gotten sick of waiting to get to shore, I really wanted to see the island and Mattie really wanted to run on the beach. The wind has shifted again and I spent another night in 6' waves with 25kt winds, the howling of the rigging was getting annoying. I awoke on Friday morning to slightly less winds and weather reports of another storm coming in. Since the winds had shifted and I was more exposed and wanted to get to the lee side of the island but thought I should avoid the gulf shore and stay in the Mississippi sound so I motored 2 miles around a small point and laid anchor near the ranger station's pier. I anchored in 10' of water and ran out 150' of line on both anchors, rigged a heavier chain on one of them and got ready to ride another day of pounding waves and wind.

I spent all day cleaning, reading and stitching on sails while listening to the radio and the howling winds, in the evening I texted dad to let him know that all was well but I was still off shore trapped in Matilda by the weather. I went to bed around 21:00 and was not too concerned about my anchorage as I had not moved more than 10' all day and I had 2 very heavy anchors out.

I awoke with a start at around 01:00 to the strange “crunch” sound, I thought to myself “Matilda never goes crunch” then I felt a big “BOOM”! I yanked open the companionway hatch and even in the dark I could see that the beach was close, way too close, I felt another BOOM and realized we were being pounded into shore stern first. Part of my storm anchorage procedure is to plan for getting pushed into the beach so I had already pulled the tiller and put a leash on the rudder so that it could break free. I quickly pulled the rudder into the cockpit to avoid damage to it or the stern . There was another big BOOM and Matilda began to roll on her side, the side that is open towards the waves. For you readers that are non-sailors this is bad, for you that are sailors this is very bad. I went forward to heave on the anchor lines hoping to pull her out of the surf, the anchors still had plenty of tension but just dragged through the weedy bottom as Matilda continued to get beaten and take spray through the open companionway. When I realized that there was no way to get her off the beach getting her keel pointed to the surf became very important, even without a rudder I fired the engine and tried to power her despite being aground and hoping not to damage my screw. This worked, she moved ever so slightly and the anchors made just enough drag to swing the bow into the wind and she took the next wave on the port side and rolled over. Now I was not taking on water anymore but I was still just as stuck on the beach, and thats when the waves and wind REALLY picked up.

As the moon rose the waves began breaking over the port rail and Matilda rolled harder into the beach, Mattie was freaking out, I was getting soaked and had the brilliant thought of rowing an anchor out in my kayak, this was one of the dumbest things I have done in a long time but fortunately the water wasn't deep, I got 10' out in a 9' kayak before it capsized. I rolled with it once then waded back to the boat. Mattie was really upset by this time and I decided to use my radio to call someone for help me get off the beach.

There are not many folks monitoring the radio at 01:30, the Coast Guard was the only one that responded to my radio call, I explained the situation and they launched a rescue operation. I told them that I really didn't think I needed to be rescued but they responded that there were vessels en-route and they couldn't let me get killed. I still wasn't grasping the seriousness of the situation because I was right at the shore. Matilda continued to take a beating and I grabbed my “bail out” bag and took my little dog into the kayak, I thought about Chapman's statement that one never steps down into a life raft, always step up when abandoning ship, since it was a kayak and the boat was aground I didn't think that statement applied. I got all of 10' from the boat when the kayak capsized again and I waded to shore with my wet and scared little dog.

The CG boat captain was in contact with me via cell phone and the water was too shallow, the waves too strong and the wind too much for them to get their boats near me, they had a helicopter nearby and it was headed my way. By the time the CG arrived I had walked to the ranger station pier and was hunkered down in a little wooded box that is used for gear storage, even though it was not that cold by Arkansas standards with the wind and wet clothing it was still pretty cold. A USCG swimmer was lowered from the helicopter and found me on the pier, he was very concerned about my health and asked about any injuries and then briefed me on the procedure of getting lifted into a helicopter via basket suspended by a cable. I had never been on a helicopter before and if I wasn't so cold and miserable I might have been excited, but I was worried about my boat and still feeling very stupid for needing a rescue. I felt a less stupid when I saw that the air speed indicator on the USCG helicopter was reading 45 knots while we were hovering to get the swimmer back aboard.
The USCG couldn't raise Gulf Port on the radio so flew me to Mobile, AL, I was getting really worried about being so far inland and wondering how I was going to find my way back to my boat, on the other hand Mattie was quite happy and was a hit with the CG guys, even when she peed on the floor of their station (we really have to deal with the pee problem). The USCG liaison came to get me, escorted me to a waiting taxi and wished me good luck. I asked the taxi driver to take me off base and let me out as I didn't have a whole lot of money, she was a very nice a turned off the meter and drove me to Waffle House. Even though I had hardly any money and was still soaking wet, it was 04:45 and I figured it was about to be a long hard day, better to start it with a hot meal than wet cold and hungry. I smuggled my little dog inside in my bail out bag but she wouldn't stay so I held her on my lap then after eating smuggled her out under my jacket.

I headed south, intent on getting to Pascagoula MS and from there finding my way back to the boat. I started walking south and continued to walk until about 07:30, I had covered only 8 miles and was getting a bit tired already, I haven't been walking much lately. I stopped at a gas station for coffee then started asking patrons if they were headed towards Pascagoula. Unfortunately no one was , even though I didn't ask anyone for money I was given a total of $15 by sympathetic strangers. The gas station employees were sharing the story of my misadventure and folks couldn't give me a ride but figured a few bucks would help. After 2 hours I made a sign that said “Shipwrecked, Pascagoula” and started walking again. I made 5 miles to Highway 90 when an older man hailed me and told me he would give me a ride. He took me all the way to Pascagoula, turns out he was a 50 year veteran of the commercial fisherman trade and was upholding the tradition of the sea, assisting other mariners in need.

I found my way to a marina in Pascagoula and encountered a couple sitting on their sail boat with engines running and sipping wine, I asked if they were headed out but the weather was too rough for them. It would be such a shame to waste a good picnic so they were charging the batteries and enjoying lunch. I explained my situation and they were wonderfully hospitable, they gave me a sack lunch and drove me and Mattie all the way to Ocean Springs, back to the marina we had left four days before.

I found Dave, the owner of the local tow boat operation and explained my situation to him and that I really needed to get back to my boat, the weather was still not co-operating and dave told me not to worry about anyone salvaging Matilda, no one was going out due to the weather. Dave and his family own the Harbor Landing boat storage, restaurant and part of the marina and they were great folks, they put me up in a boat so that I didn't have to sleep outside and made sure that Mattie and I were well fed. Some marina operators are a bit snobbish and rude but these folks are awesome, I've rarely met such generous and hospitable people.

On Sunday the weather was cold but not as windy, no one really wanted to head out to Horn Island in the cold so the restaurant became the most popular place to hunker down and watch super bowl pre-game stuff. After lunch Dave loaded up his boat and we headed off to recover Waltzing Matilda. Through out this whole ordeal I had kept a pretty good sense of humor but as we neared the location I began to worry about loosing my boat and everything in her. As we got closer to the beach I could see a small black dot that slowly began to take the shape of a hull, Matilda came into view still where I left her, lying on her side with drift wood tangled in the mess of anchor lines hanging from her bow. I have never been happier to see her, there was no damage to her hull or rigging and very little water inside considering what a beating she had taken. Dave attached a line to her sampson post and motored out a bit, with a bit of a tug she swung off the sand and into the water. I was elated to see her float again I realized that my voyage was not over, Matilda had survived one of my biggest fears. I motored the 11 miles back to Harbor Landing and on my way home saw more dolphins, I still suspect they are not good luck, it seems to me that they are more like gangsters warning me to stay out of their surf.

I am staying put at Harbor Landing for a little bit, there is a lot of cleaning to do aboard and there is another storm coming on. I've had enough storms lately and I don't feel like challenging the dolphins for territory again so soon.

Waltzing Matilda is proving to be a tough little boat, she is still patient with my inexperience and has shown that she can take a beating. I learned a lot in this most recent adventure, always keep clean socks in your bail out bag, never underestimate the power of a fully charged cell phone battery and the most valuable thing a person can possess is a sense of humor, plus I got to ride in a helicopter.

Post Script, I made the news, again Coast Guard helicopter crew rescues boater & dog stranded in dark on Horn Island