Kevin.S wrote:
Barely got past the end of the pontoons when the engine stopped and could not restart it. Luckily I hadn't gone far so was able to paddle the boat back to the ramp with the emergency oar I keep in the boat. Got the boat out onto the trailer and was just going to fit the clamps on the back to lock it onto the trailer when I noticed that the petrol pipe had come off the engine. Reconnected the pipe, boat back in the water and everything was fine.
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Ditto, mate. Heading out of Rangaunu Harbour, from Rangiputa, solo on a late autumn week day with no-one else around. Started first time, as usual. But went 100m and cut out, re-start for a moment, cut-out. Over and over.
I was crapping myself as I drifted out to sea fast on the outgoing tide. So thinking quickly, i chucked the anchor over to stop me going any further from shore and tried to calmly assess what it sounded like - fuel! Found the loose join on the tote, reconnected and all was rosey. Got two stonker snapper that day, too.
Other memorable ones:
- drove from Hamilton to Lake Aniwhenua, walked along the shoreline - ready to start fishing - no fly box... Luckily the local lodge owner sold flies, so it wasn't a complete fail.
- a good mate took me out on his oldish Buccaneer from Westhaven right out to the Noises. Not a bite, so time to move. Engine won't go. "Damn, it's been playing up a bit", he says. No go after numerous attempts. "Luckily we've got the auxiliary." He pull starts that, only for it to cut out after 30 seconds. "It tends to do that". He refused to call Coastguard, so we made potentially the slowest journey ever back from the Noises to Westhaven with the auxiliary cutting out after each short burst. Luckily it was an incoming tide, so after we eventually made it to the Rangitoto Channel, we stopped and drift fished for a bit; before doing his sputtering auxiliary thing around North Head and the rest of the way. We weren't really talking by the end of the trip...
- Another fly fishing one - a 10th 'last cast' as light faded on the Hydro Pool, Tongariro. Casting heavy nymphs in a vicious sou-wester. Donk. Weird light feel on the rod. Hmmm, the top 10" of my favourite rod floated off down the line - the victim of a 'bomb' nymph whacking it on the forward cast. Ouch
- Fishing with my dad in our old Parkercraft dinghy at the mussel farm north of Kaiaua. Got a bump on a livie down near the bottom, not the kingie I'd hoped for but a huge John Dory. My first ever. Just as my dad yelled "use the net" I tried to lift it into the boat on the trace - only for the jack mackerel in its throat to come free. Silence in the boat. I had no idea that sometimes they don't get hooked, they just have the livie snagged in their throat. The fail turned into an epic a little while later when we decided to call it quits and we discovered I'd dropped the anchor too close to the long end of a mussel rope, despite dad's misgivings, and we had to cut our line to get free. It was a very, very quiet drive home...