The Day I Almost Drowned My Father!

Friday, June 10, 2022

For those of you who read “A Three-Hour Tour”, this story today is part two of a three-part saga: What Could Possibly Go Wrong? Tim tells the story.

After my first experience boating, I spent some extra time in the workshop fixing bugs in the original design by adding a second leeboard, larger rudder and a sea anchor. After all design changes had been made, whereby allowing me uninhibited access to the world’s ocean aboard my 12′ converted sailing inflatable, I set off to test the design modifications. This time I would play it “smart” by testing it in the waters of Kaneohe bay by Chinaman’s Hat on the windward side of the island. If the wind pushed me anywhere, it would be toward that precious thing called land. On this journey would be my non-swimming father as first mate and I as the ever intrepid, though naive (among other things) skipper. Perhaps I should have gone by Gilligan as that is the role I am most apt to play in these stories it seems (and yes, these are all, unfortunately, true stories).

We made our grandiose plans, including an afternoon trolling for Mahi-Mahi along the Northeast coast of Oahu. Fishing poles, tackle, anchors, and life Jackets were all carefully stowed along with a 5-gallon plastic bucket to put our eagerly anticipated catch in. As we confidently sailed away from the beach the decision was made to go counter-clockwise around Chinaman’s Hat then head north up the coast of Oahu in search of our prey (notice reality had yet failed to sink in).

Within 100 yards of shore I noticed something was wrong. While I had enlarged the size of the rudder I had failed to stiffen it adequately. So, no matter how hard the rudder was turned, it flexed in the water and made little noticeable difference. As a solution (I come from a long line of “jerry riggers” and “jack of all trades” types), my father suggested using one of the oars as a temporary rudder. He braced an oar between his legs and side of the boat, while leaning against the mast. His idea worked admirably well. We now had fairly good control over our direction. One little setback shouldn’t stop our grand adventure so we pressed on.

As we approached the island I informed my dad to be careful for the boom would swing around as we turned around the island. He understood, I understood, but neither of us understood he would have little say in the matter within moments. As my little raft made it’s turn into the wind, the boom predictably swung around toward my father. I ducked my head under it, he ducked his head only to realize that his legs were still wedged between the oar (our make-shift rudder) and the boat. He had no choice but to catch the swinging pendulum like pole that was arching toward him. Now the boom was only 8 feet long, and the mast 15 ft. with 110 square feet of sailcloth between the two. But as he caught the boom we had now swung into a position placing us at a right angle to the wind, in a flat bottom boat, over a (soon to be discovered) 12-foot depth of water.

How, you might ask, did we ascertain that the water depth was 12 foot? Based up on calculations made at the scene moments after catching the boom. For in much less time than it takes to recount the events the wind had won the battle over our ballast placing my precious little raft in a most unbecoming position. Yes, when a boat attached to a 15ft mast capsizes in 12 feet of water, the boat will perch itself 3 feet out of the water upon the mast. Quite fascinating, though not the most efficient method of taking soundings, I must add.

Within moments we made another valuable discovery: Life Jackets DO NOT work unless they are securely fastened. My father was now bobbing in the water safely in his life jacket with his nose approximately 3 inches below the surface of the water. I must give my father credit for most people, who are not swimmers, would have panicked at a time like this, yet he very calmly was searching with his hands for some hold he could take on the now instrument of his drowning to cause it to fulfill it’s assumed, intended purpose, namely flotation. Aiding in his rescue, I placed the 5-gal bucket we had designated for our Mahi-Mahi under his grasping hands, allowing him to bob with his nose out of the liquid environment it had suddenly found itself in.

Satisfied his safety had been insured, I set about the task of righting my precious little raft, salvaging what I could of this venture fraught in chaos and ignorance. As we sat in the water about 200 yards from shore, boat sticking out of the water 3 feet (thankfully there were no waves that day) I began to realize that my ingenious method of propulsion (110square feet of sailcloth) had become our captor. It had intertwined itself in the shallow (12 feet to be exact) reef below us. Working without knife or mask I attempted to remove the sail from mast, or even the boat from the mast, so I could put my father back in the boat (Being a good father, he came along to spend time with his son. His next father-son adventure with my brother landed him in a cast for 6 weeks from trying to ride motocross, not to mention the time he was being a good father watching his sons’ light fireworks when one of the aerial fireworks came shooting down the back of his shirt, refusing to go out till its energy had been spent on his unfortunate back).

After 25 minutes had passed, a local diver swam over. “Eh you guys need help?”

All sarcasm had left my thoughts for once in my life as I simply replied, “I definitely do.”

First, he worked to free the sail from the reef. Once done (having been in the water nearly 2 hours now), we attempted to right the boat so we could paddle, like a poor whipped puppy with its tail tucked between its legs in shame, toward shore. Despite our attempts, we were not having any success with either righting the boat or removing it from the mast. As we attempted to wrest the tiny craft from its predicament, from behind me I heard the sound of 8 little horses beneath the hood of an Evinrude. A group of fishermen had been sitting on the shore watching our escapade, “eh brah, we thought you was out hea’ playing around, but you like some help o’ what?” they chorused in their delightful pidgin English.

Within a few minutes dad and I were sitting inside the relative (very relative at this point) safety of our little boat being towed in by the fisherman’s zodiac. We got back to shore with my tackle box, half of my fishing pole, the other half of my father’s (fortunately they fit together and made one complete pole) but less one rudder and oar. But we were on land. Still I had paid good money for those oars, near $40, and I was not about to lose one to the sea without a fight. Knowing the oar floated gave me all the hope I needed.

My father, knowing now the inherent dangers of boating, agreed to strap my now dinged up dinghy in the van while I swam the mile-long journey across the bay, following the current, in hopes of finding that lost oar. As I swam (all told I spent just under 4 hours in the water that day) across the bay I began to wonder if it was really worth one oar; one that had caused us to capsize, one that had failed to get me safely home on my last trip, one that I was swimming in 24″ of water with as much sludge and muck underneath that I couldn’t even stand without sinking into the mud, to find what? Was it worth it? Well I found that oar and it has seen many years of service since, in the closet with my 12′ former sailboat.

As I trudged through the last few feet of that muck up onto the neatly manicured lawn of a total stranger, toward the highway where I had agreed to meet my father, the image of that zodiac that had so effortlessly rescued me on two separate trips came to mind. Maybe the answer is power I thought. No more sail, gotta get some power. What could possibly go wrong then?

What indeed?

Tim was thinking power might be the answer. The Bible talks about Power, but not the power Tim was referring to. Jeremiah 10:12-13 says, “He [God] has made the earth by His power, He has established the world by His wisdom, and has stretched out the heavens at His discretion. When He utters His voice, there is a multitude of waters in the heavens: “And He causes the vapors to ascend from the ends of the earth. He makes lightning for the rain, He brings the wind out of His treasuries.” Romans 1:20 goes on to say, “For since the creation of the world His invisible attributes are clearly seen, being understood by the things that are made, even His eternal power and Godhead, so that they are without excuse.” So, not only did God, through His almighty power, create the world and everything in it, but also, He can be clearly seen in creation. No one can say they didn’t know that God existed! No one. The evidence is all around us. Just open your eyes.

2 Peter 1:3 states that, not only is He the creator of the Universe by His amazing power, but He is at work, through his mighty power, in all those who have put their trust in Him. “…His divine power has given to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of Him who called us by glory and virtue.” His power is for those who have been called, those who have put their trust in the Lord Jesus Christ. His power gives us, believers, all we need to live for Him on this earth. It’s not our power, it’s HIS POWER in us!

Have you received this power?

Jesus told His disciples on several occasions that when He left the earth, He would send the Holy Spirit to live inside them and aid them. John 14:16-17 states, “And I will pray the Father, and He will give you another Helper, that He may abide with you forever – the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him; but you know Him, for He dwells with you and will be in you.” Furthermore, Acts 1:8 tells us, “But you shall receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you; and you shall be witnesses to Me in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth.” As believers, we are not alone. Moreover, we have a task while on this earth to be witnesses for Christ Jesus. If you do not have a heart for the lost to see them come to a saving knowledge of Jesus Christ, then you need to search your own heart to see if you really know Him.

Where is your power coming from?

Blessings, Mari