11-21-2000, 07:18 PM
The summer of 1971 was an incredible time for Tuna fishing off the coast of Southern and Baja California. My father owned a 20 foot Reinell cuddy cabin that he purchased new the year before. This particular day, my father, brother, two family friends and myself set off in search of monster albacore. We were in the water by 3:00 a.m. and headed out to sea. <br><br>We took a course due south from Point Loma and drove like hell until daybreak. We reduced speed and began trolling feathered jigs, still heading south. About an hour later, we had three fish hooked up on the troll, and one more on bait. My father shut down the engine on the boat and joined us for a fishing frenzy. We fished that school for more than two hours pulling in fish after fish from 30 to 80 pounds. <br>Finally, the school moved on and we had had enough. My father went back to the cockpit and tried to start the boat. There was a moment of silence as the starter failed to turn and made only that awful clicking sound. Apparently on the ride out, the alternator had gone out and failed to charge the battery, then two hours of bait pump had drained it the rest of the way.<br>There was no backup battery and the radio didn't have enough power to operate. By this time, we were over 80 miles out to sea without another boat in sight. We turned off everything electronic in hopes the battery might come back some. We threw the bait out and waited. After three hours of drifting without seeing another boat, we knew we were in trouble. We killed time by cleaning and filleting the fish we had caught and packing it in the cooler. <br>The fact that my dad was a three pack a day cigarette smoker would add to his stress later as the time stretched on and his cigarette supply ran low. Finally, as evening approached, we saw a fishing trawler in the distance. We lit one of our three safety flares and tried to get the boat's attention. Good fortune was with us and the boat began heading our way. <br>The crew of the boat came alongside and we relayed our problem. The crew notified the coast guard of our situation and position. They took our battery on board and circled us through the night, charging the battery.<br>The next morning, the crew of the trawler came alongside again and returned the fully charged battery to us. After installing the battery and getting the engine started, we gave the crew half our fish, all of our gratitude<br>and started the trip back to San Diego.<br>We drove all day and as night approached for the second time, we could see the Coronado Islands up ahead. This meant we were about 15 miles from Point Loma. Unfortunately, we had drifted out beyond the range of our gas supply, and ran out of gas on the windward side of the islands. Once again we were adrift and helpless. The radio was still not working for some reason and we had no way to contact assistance.<br>My dad's cigarette supply was now depleted and we were once again left with an uneasy feeling. This uneasiness increased as a large Mako shark began circling the boat. This particular area is shark territory due to the large sea lion population on the islands. After an hour of watching us, the shark finally went on his way. <br>We spent the night at sea again. As a ten-year old boy, my mind was filled with fear that we would sink and be eaten by the Mako shark. I had to use the bathroom in the middle of the night and as I urinated over the side, I discovered the phenomenon of phosphorus in the water which glows at night. I laughed as I drew my name in glowing sea water. <br>The next morning, we were awakened by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter overhead. The crewman held a large chalkboard out the side asking us if we we the Evans party. We nodded affirmation and the next message was a cutter was on its way to us. About an hour later, the ship pulled up to us. After checking our condition and finding us in good health, the crew towed our boat back to Shelter Island where the media was waiting. Apparently, we had been the local news story for the last day or so of "Local fisherman lost at sea"......<br>Our family was waiting at the docks for us. After a brief and tearful reunion, we went home. The next evening we feasted on fish and savored each bite, thankful for the fact that we were safe.<br><br>by Teva1999 : Wednesday 20 September, 2000 <br><br>Submit your Fishing Adventure Stories to win great prizes at ReMemory.Com