All of a sudden it was no laughing matter.
And when the wife asked me, “Do we have lightning protection on the boat?” I had no answer.

These stories make for great reading are reprinted here;
► Swamped at sea
“She’ll be right” attitude to an approaching storm front was nearly fatal as these fishing friends were swamped at sea with non-operational bilge pumps…” Aaron Falls► My day at sea when the motor stopped.
“The snapper were on the bite on a beautiful New Zealand morning, but all was not well as the wind picked up and the motor failed to start…” Malcolm Lochead► Washed onto a breaking reef in the dead of night
“Failure of the anchor alarm meant a close brush with tragedy for these anglers, only their quick thinking skipper saved them…” Ian Williams► Saved by beginners luck from several close encounters
“Trying to impress a girl and trusting an “expert” (her Dad) was the first of several dramatic and comical mistakes made by this first time boat owner…” Allan Darwen► My passenger broke her nose
“A quiet holiday on the boat turned next level as the weather forecast got it so so wrong…” Adam McLauchlan► My brother David, lost at sea in 1984.
“An extra safety precaution turned out to be a fatal mistake leading to the loss of two young lives…” Chris Jones► My mate hid in the esky
“After trying to outrun the storm, they bunkered down, lost the motor and were rescued after setting off their second set of flares by passing commercial fishermen…” Paul Szybiak► The one third fuel rule – 1/3 out, 1/3 back, ⅓ contingency.
“In a pre-GPS white out, steering a few degrees off course left them dangerously low on fuel…” Peter Eklund► Going from good to bad in a millisecond.
“Turning to check on some smaller boats during a freak storm nearly ended in disaster as the anchor rope washed overboard and stalled the prop…” Geoffrey Ryder► Thank Goodness for self-draining decks.
“An innocent looking squall turned nasty as the wind started blowing the tops off the waves and dumping water into the boat…” Jon Snell► Maiden voyage becomes a nightmare
“With a terrified wife and two young daughters aboard, the boat started getting heavier as the bilge pump failed to cope…” John Beasy► Lighten the boat, toss the fish overboard.
“An inappropriate radio antenna and an incorrect weather forecast could have spelled disaster if not for extra fuel and a jiggler hose…” Glen Stockdale► Tsunami overturns boat and takes life
“A group of fishos hired a charter boat when a freak wave overturned their vessel and drowned one of the occupants…” Keith Palmer► When lightning strikes
“Luckily this couple were not on board when lightning struck their vessel resulting in a fireball and holes to the hull…” Glenda and Mike Brooks► Preparation prevents piss poor performance.
“If it wasn’t for this good samaritan, this family would have been swimming in croc country due to some really basic safety blunders…” Troy Moore► BOM predicted 5-10
“After whipping out the angle grinder (how’s that for preparation), catching the wife’s ankles as she goes overboard and wearing the skin off his fingers manually pumping diesel, Udo finally gets his family home safe…” Udo Hennig► Nearly killed by a peaceful whale.
“This commerical fisho survived fires, collisions, two man overboards and a sinking during his career, but his closest call came via an encounter with a whale…” Bruce Lake 20-second reads:Last year I was out fishing with a friend in his boat when a lightning storm came from nowhere. All the rods in the rocket launcher had sparks from the reel handles to the aluminium. My mate said to me, “Just get the rods down and we head in”.
I said, “No you do it.”
He said “No. Why do you not wish to touch them?”
It was simple it will blow up my pacemaker
Racing off Mooloolaba in my father’s Yacht when a storm blew in and was a bad, very bad electrical storm. The skipper [Dad] got us to drop all sails and run the anchor chain around the mast a couple of times and make sure it fully reached the water at all times. It wasn’t long after a lightning bolt hit the mast and offloaded down the chain! He said if we hadn’t done the anchor chain thing we may have blown off the mast and damaged the hull.
In 1965, between Christmas and New year I went on an overnight trip to the reef. Fishing in 20 fathoms the reds were slow. About 10.30 a storm approached. My anchor came adrift when the wind blew and I began drifting away quickly. Then my lights went out. My mate put his lights on so I could have a bearing. My compass was useless for as the lightning flashed the compass would spin. I took a guess at what I hoped would take me to shallow water. The rain was cold and felt like ice bullets. It seemed to take forever to get there. When I dropped the anchor it was in 10 feet of water! After the water was bailed out I got the lights working to signal my mate all was well. I still think I had guidance from above.
P.S. Forgot to mention, boat 15 ft motor 40hp manual pull start, no sounder, GPS or 2 way
Many years ago (in the late 1980’s) my wife and I were fishing off Lee Point, a close reef to Buffalo Creek in Darwin when a storm came thru. We were in a 4.5m Quintrex centre console. The anchor would not hold so we put a 2nd anchor out and the boat still would not hold so we started the motor and idled into the wind till the storm stopped. My wife was pretty scared and I was concerned but tried to appear non-concerned. We were only approx. one km offshore but could not see anything while the storm was on. This was before GPS technology was available to small craft so we were basically flying blind as we didn’t want to end up on the rocks.
When I was a small boy we were fishing in the parents 15ft Pride Starfire runabout with canopy. We were just offshore from the Urangan boat harbour (which was much smaller in those days to what it is today). A storm came over and one of the trawlers in the harbour overturned and the ferry that took people to Fraser Island up anchored and drifted away. It was scary and very wet for the duration of the storm.


About 40 years ago I was invited to go on an overnight reef trip from Turkey Beach. It was in June. We were in an 18-foot half cab. Everything was fine until about 8 o’clock at night when we were hit by a severe electrical storm. The waves were so big that they were crashing into the windscreen, running along the canopy and dumping water onto the outboard. Arthur (the skipper) went onto the front deck and pulled up the anchor. He then started to head in towards the coast. We saw what looked like 2 trawlers and steered to go between them. Suddenly I realized it was a ship and Arthur changed course! We spent a wet, very uncomfortable night sheltering in a creek ( the rum helped) before going back out for more fishing the next morning.
We used to go to the Reef & Palms every opportunity that arose in a 5.8m. Kingston (Displacement max speed 6 knots) & our worst 2 storm events were…
- We were diving Loadstone reef for the weekend when Saturday afternoon it was like a sheet of glass but looking back to Townsville we could see a storm building. What we should have done was we should have moved to the sheltered side of the reef & anchored, but we decided to run for home, Big mistake, you don’t run from anything at 6 knots & we were heading straight to the storm. We were only about 1 hour from the reef when the wind picked up to about 25 knots. At that stage, it was no worries and kept steering to Townsville. Then the storm hit! Try watching a compass & steer when you cannot see 10m. in front. The wind was screaming & the thunder & lightning was terrifying. The boat would roll right over to one side & then get pushed sideways down the waves. Thank goodness it was a great sea boat although we thought it would tip over dozens of times. This went on for about 3 hours, then when it cleared it calmed down pretty quick. These were the days before epirbs & GPS, so if we sank we would not be missed until Sunday night, scary thought.
- We were on our way home from the reef & hit a big storm in the Kingston, I was driving & my mate was asleep in the bunks. I was beside the Island in the shipping channel when it hit, the wind was screaming & it blew up so rough & as the water was shallow all I could do is turn into the waves & hold it to about 3 knots. The waves were very close together & breaking over the top of the boat. My mate was freaking as he saw lights ahead & thought it was Horseshoe Bay but I was adamant I was beside the island in the shipping channel. When the storm settled we were 10m. from a channel marker pole. If we had hit that we would have sunk I reckon. These were terrifying storms that came so fast and blew so hard I would not wish them on anyone, I am so glad I was in a displacement boat & had years experience in rough seas in small boats.
Fishing the run-off for 4 days down the Daly River, Top End. We were sitting out the front of a creek flicking away when a massive storm brewed up and headed at us. We headed up into the creek, tied off to the bank, put bimini up and tarp over the top in preparation. The rain started bucketing down with lightning everywhere.
Due to being low on water, I decided to refill our water containers from the water running off the tarp. I was holding onto the Bimini pole and hanging the container over the back to catch the water. All of a sudden a lightning bolt has hit the other side of the narrow creek (20m wide) and has come up through the water and though my whole body. Scared the living daylights outta me. This was the end of catching water. Sat on the esky and waited it out.
It wouldn’t be boating without being caught out with changing conditions so for that reason I only take my family in our small boat out when the weather is mint. Unfortunately, I don’t get out that often but it’s better to be safe than sorry I guess.
I do however get out on the water with my local marine rescue to help some of those unfortunate or ill-prepared boaters on the water. As you can imagine many of our activations for our small brave team are when the weather is not pleasant and being caught out in changing weather conditions and storms are slowly becoming the norm😂😂😂
I had a trip recently though that was quite similar to yours where we went to assist on the water. The weather this time was great, glassed out and I probably should have shot out for a fish in my own boat. We were on the water for about 2 hrs and heading for home and got activated again so we made a detour and assisted once more. The tide was about to change and the wind picked up slightly but no big deal we had been on the water about 4 hours by this stage and headed home for the second try.
We were cruising quite well for about 1/2hr and then the storm closed in as we came back into open water, the wind picked up to 25-30kn which wasn’t supposed to happen ( BOM you really needs to get it together) and the tide was against the wind which stood the waves up to 2m as we passed through a long stretch of shoals. To say our trip back was slow would be an understatement with a number of waves crashing over the bow. No one was sick or injured but all were grateful to be back inside the harbour. Our trip was meant to be about 3hrs. Turned out to be 8hrs. It just goes to show how quickly it can change.
I didn’t get any pics as I got a face that would be better suited to radio and I was too busy holding on. Remember it’s very unforgiving out there. Stay safe👍
I own a 20ft Seafarer boat. In March last year, I was out off Edithburgh in South Australia near the Marion reef beacon. I was with two friends fishing for whiting and snapper.
The weather was average with about 0.5 to 1m seas. I decided as skipper to travel to a snapper spot and thought I would take a shortcut between the Marion reef beacon and the reef. There was plenty of water and no real swells. My mate whilst travelling made us a bowl out of a bag of salt and vinegar chips to share with us as we were moving to the drop.
Out of nowhere a swell formed, which was about 20 feet high, I was able to navigate up and down the swell relatively easily but right behind it was an even bigger swell that looked like it was going to break right on us. I remember looking to the right and left to see if I could turn away from it but decided that was too dangerous so up we went, I put a bit of throttle into it as I thought that it would break on top of us and as we reached and moved through the top of the swell/wave there was nothing on the other side so down we went with a massive crash.
I smashed my face on the metal screen putting my tooth through my lip and being concussed, my mate who had made the bowl of chips was on his back on the deck with salt and vinegar chips all over him and the floor, my other friend had fallen off the seat and was on the floor.
We were all stunned at what had happened. None of us was wearing life jackets and the situation could have been a lot different if I had made the wrong decision to turn away from the swell/wave.
Massive lesson learnt. Our wives could see the worry on our faces when we got home. We laugh about it now but it definitely was a what-if moment.
Stay safe during storms at sea with these tips.
- If the weather forecast suggests thunderstorms consider rescheduling your trip because safety must be the priority;
- When you see a storm front in the distance, head to shelter (a protected area out of the wind such as the lee of an island or reef). Or preferably back to shore. Because many of the incidents cited above could have been avoided had they returned immediately;
- Always notify a responsible family member, coastguard or marine rescue of your destination and estimated time of arrival. You can now do this with the Coast Guard App. Because if the worst does happen, you’ll want someone looking for you.
- Drive to the conditions. This may vary depending on the boat. Avoid turning side on to the sea in large waves because you may get swamped. Sometimes the long way home can be safer.
- Keep a floating flashlight and batteries aboard your vessel.
Lightning strikes
- Although the odds of being struck by lightning are low, if worried you can have your vessel assessed and lightning protection installed.
- When inside an open boat, avoid touching metal objects and appliances as this can prevent electric shock. Stow all rods and aerials, stay low and keep your arms and legs inside the vessel and try and keep everyone in the centre of the boat;
- Ensure the VHF radio is not used during an electrical storm unless it is an absolute emergency to avoid injury in the event of a lightning strike;
- Store small communication valuables such as phones, inside a microwave or even a foil twisties packet to protect them in the event of a strike. These act as a Faraday’s cage, hence protecting devices stored inside.
Neil Young
In December 2017, myself and a workmate organised a trip off Dundee in my 5.10m Quintrex Sea Spirit to get into some reds. As is customary, we checked the weather for the day and it all looked good. So we got up at sparrow fart and drove from Darwin to Dundee. Again we checked the weather and the radar was clear. We then set off on our 70km trip out to the spot. Glass off conditions made for a nice ride in the darkness, and after arriving at the spot we were straight onto some nice Nannygai. After an hour or so and an esky full, we decided to search for some different species. We headed out a further 5km to some lumpy ground. As we pulled up we looked back towards Dundee and there was a massive storm brewing. Lightning everywhere and filled half the horizon. As with all storms, we thought we would wait and maybe watch it fizzle out or blow through. Within the hour came the howling wind ahead of the storm blowing 100kph+ winds across the water. I said to my mate I think this is going to be big. We decided to head directly into the storm in the direction of Dundee where there was some closer in fishing grounds.



Jon Snell – Cairns
I had an experience I will never forget back in Feb 2016 during the wet/storm season. Nothing special at the start weather report was good. I got up and checked the obs at Arlington. All was good and the visuals were fine other than some lightning a long way off to the south. We headed out of Cairns to Sudbury reef and the weather was good and the seas were smooth. As we passed the cay we saw that there were people who had camped there overnight and there was a gazebo they were using for shelter. We headed to our fishing spot another 5 miles on. We fished for an hour or so and saw a small squall approaching. This didn’t look any different to ones I had been in over the years and it wasn’t even very dark or threatening. I knew we were going to get rained on and I expected the wind to increase a bit. As it approached the wind picked up and rain started. Then it got more windy and the anchor let go. It grabbed again but soon lost that hold as well. These conditions were getting pretty bad and with winds estimated at close to 30kn we decided our best option was head back to the cay. We had the sea coming onto us quartering across our port bow. The wind continued to increase and it got so bad that when we were on top of the waves, the wind was blowing the top off and dumping huge amounts of water into the boat. Thank god for self draining decks. It’s these times you know you did the right thing by properly maintaining your boat, knowing how it all works, where things are etc. I can tell you this is the one time when I seriously considered putting on a life jacket. We finally made it to the cay and sheltered in the lee side. The gazebo we saw on the way out was in the water and there was a lady and 2 dogs sheltering under tarp she had wrapped around herself. The squall passed and the winds started to abate. The lady called out to us and asked if we had seen another boat. I said yes there was a sail boat to the west but this was not the one she wanted to know about. She was concerned for her husband in a 6m half cab. I told her I hadn’t seen any other boats. I then got on the radio and called the coast guard. They had been talking to the husband and we were able to relay to them his wife was safe. He had taken the boat away from the cay as they were concerned it would have been swamped. The husband made his way back to the cay and when he arrived he had his life jacket on. He said that it was the most scared he had ever been at sea and his biggest fear was that the waves were going to go right over the top of the cay where his wife was sheltering. By this time the seas had flattened out and we headed back to our fishing spot. From start to finish it would have been only 2 hours tops but very scary. We talked about how high the winds got and we estimated 40kn ( 80kmh) this was confirmed when we later checked the obs at Arlington which got to 38kn. Bottom line for me make sure you do your maintenance and know your boat. Cheers, Jon Snell – CairnsAaron Falls – Dundee NT




John Beasy
I lived in Derby in the Kimberley WA for ten years and whilst there I bought a new boat. It was a Coralline 670 half cab with a 200 Yamaha motor. I drove to Perth to pick it up and my wife had it named Spoilt Brat with stickers on the bow to my surprise. I towed it back to Derby and decided for its maiden voyage we would go over to Valentine Island, about a 40 k trip, with my wife, two young daughters and a mate. We fished the island and the creeks and, whilst in the creeks I noticed a slight breeze was coming up but was not worried. The time came to leave the creek and head back to the Derby boat ramp, which is very exposed to the weather. It had a small creek about a 100 meters from the ramp which led to a protected ramp but was only accessible at about 3/4 tide. We left the safety of the creek only to realise the wind had come up substantially. The further we went the worse it got. By this time it was too late to turn around to seek the safety of the creek. We were committed and it was getting worse by the minute. The shallow water in this area turning the sea into a washing machine, which large tidal flow coupled with gale force winds made this a very dangerous situation. With 2 young girls, a panicky wife, a new boat of which I did not know it’s capabilities, made it all the worse. We were being pushed towards a shallow sandbar coming off the end of an island which we had to get around the top of. I’m trying to steer the boat sideways to the sea trying to avoid it broaching, we were being thrown around the cab all trying to hold on. We could not even get to the life jackets as they were under the passenger seats of which my wife was desperately trying to hold on to with the two girls. I managed to steer it past the island just managing to clear the sand bars on the end of the island and then head to Derby ramp. The wind was still getting stronger, waves were crashing into the sides of the boat as well as coming over the back. We had a lot of water in the boat and the scuppers were working overtime to drain the water on the deck. The hull was also filling with water and the bilge pump trying to cope. I could feel the boat getting heavier, but by this time we only had about 5 ks to go. I could hear the vhf radio going off but could not hear it properly due to the noise from the motor, wind, and sea crashing over us. My wife yelled at me to call someone on the sat phone which also was under the seat but I had no chance of getting to it let alone making a call. The sea had no pattern to it swishing like a washing machine. Just when I thought I had it figured out we would be hit by a wave on the rear quarter turning us 180 degrees and dumping a huge amount of water in the boat. This happened many times. Frightening stuff! And I was quite experienced in boats being an ex oyster farmer. But the unpredictable sea was certainly testing my boating skills, and with hysterical wife and kids on board made things a whole lot worse. We eventually had the boat jetty and boat ramp in site but with waves crashing onto the ramp it was not an option and the back ramp had barely enough water to use it safely. So we had no choice but to attempt to enter the small entrance to the creek where the back ramp was. There was only about 300 mm of water at the entrance and with waves crashing in I hit the throttle and lined it up. Suddenly we were hit from behind by a huge wave pushing the boat sideways. I’m thinking “this is it” but hit the throttle wide open and straightened up and we launched over the bar and into the safety of the creek, to wait for more water to retrieve the boat. Well we proved the boat could handle whatever the sea could throw at it. By that time we had quite a lot of people including the sea rescue watching on. I still have trouble getting my wife to come out on the water some ten years later. Now living in Darwin I always plan my trips better and keep a good eye on the weather. Maiden voyage, John BeasyMalcolm Lochead
I went out with my friend Stanley and his friend, a doctor, in Stan’s run about. It was a nice morning at Kauwa Bay around Auckland and we set off at 6.30 am. All was going great and we dropped a set line and carried on further out once this was completed to do some rod fishing. Stan made mention that the engine was a little sluggish but thought it would clear itself with further use. We finally got out to where we were going and commenced fishing. The snapper were on the bite and we were hauling in some really large beasts, but the wind came from nowhere and Stan decided to pull the pick and head back to retrieve the set line. When he went to start it there was nothing he did that would get the motor going. By this time the wind was really at a scary point with water lapping over the side of the boat and it was then I heard Stan say, “guys get your life jackets on we may be going down”. All I could think of was my 3 children and that seeing them that morning may be the last time. Stan put out a series of May Day calls and the police launch DEE a DAR was just coming under the harbour bridge and could not get to us for another hour. But there was a boat coming to us from where we left that morning and it seemed like forever before we caught a glimpse of him through the spray of the wild sea. When the launch arrived he did a cicle of us and proceeded to come close and throw us a tow line but once attached the slack in the line took it under our boat and when it tightened it was dragging our bow down under the water. At last, the launch had us undertow and away we went grateful for the effort these guys had made. But the fun was not over! The dingy tied to the launch came adrift and the skipper cut power and stopped. As we had no means of control our boat slammed into the rescue boat and the bow rope guide punched a large hole in the port side of their bow, and again the tow rope had gone under the launch and was slamming us even harder against it. I then heard Stan say I have to give the engine another try and with much delight, it started. I reached over the windscreen and detached the tow line and we reversed back off the launch. Because we were not towed back to the boat ramp we used that morning, the skipper took us to the next bay so we were at the boat ramp in the beaten up boat, but our car and trailer were still at the other boat ramp. A quick phone call to Stan’s wife and my wife and they came out, picked the car and trailer up and when they arrived Ii lost the plot and got down on my hands and knees and kissed the concrete boat ramp. WE WERE SAFE. And the fish on both the rods and the long line were so nice. We tried to contact the guys who saved us but had no luck but they were real heroes.Glen Stockdale – Ayr


Esky full of red fish… doesn’t get any better than this.
- Weather forecast isn’t an exact science and they don’t always get it right
- Buy a decent aerial for your marine radio and make sure it works
- Always check in with VMR so someone knows where you are or when to come looking if things get bad enough
- Take enough fuel so that you have enough “just in case”
- Pack a jiggler hose in your boat, as you don’t want to be pouring fuel into a funnel at sea, especially if it’s rough
Ian Williams
Three or four hours ago my mate and I got back from an overnight trip to the Great Barrier Reef aboard his boat: a 7+ metre aluminium hulled boat with a Suzuki 175 hp outboard. When we arrived back at his house we did all the necessaries to “put the boat to bed”, after which I returned to my own house and had a couple of hours sleep. I was so tired showering was the last thing on my mind, and figured it could wait until I was rested. We had left his house at about 7am yesterday (saturday), launched and got underway by eight. The trip out to the reef was expected to take in the region of 2 ½ – 3 hours. Even though it’s “local” to us it’s still a fair stretch to get there. The GPS told us it was 135 km out, which is around 84 miles. We were heading southeast, but the closest land would still be in the region of 120 Km away. Whilst chatting we joked about the possibility of something going wrong, and how there would be very little chance of swimming back to land what with the distance, the waves and of course the things below said waves. You know the ones I mean. Sleek shiny ones, with beady eyes and pointy teeth. On the way out the wind picked up a little and produced a short chop which was a bit uncomfortable. The hull occasionally slammed down onto a wave producing a bone jarring smash. It’s a difficult sea to travel, and there’s not a better way to navigate: that is if you want to get there the same day. We arrived at the reef after 3 hours or so, thankfully with the aforementioned bones still intact and functioning correctly. I can’t be more accurate with regard to time, as I’d stopped checking my watch. I was on holiday, so time was a fluid concept and of no real import. We drifted around, getting the odd bite from Spanish Mackerel, none of which we managed to introduce to the air. We did, however, manage to acquire a few small sharks, a couple of which destined to grace my freezer. But it was time to get to the serious business of trying to bring aboard some reef fish, so we anchored and settled in for some enjoyable fishing. I checked my overhead/multiplier reel and found that it wasn’t cooperating with my endeavours; there was no way to take it out of free spool. I wasn’t able to use it, which was frustrating to say the least. So I set up with my big fixed spool reel, 100lb braided mainline, 60 lb hook length, 6oz lead and size 4/0 hook. With some squid who had kindly donated themselves for the cause as bait, I was fishing! They were down there! I knew it because the tip of my rod twitched tantalisingly over and over. But each twitch was followed by my motionless rod. And every fisher knows what that means: time to reel in and replace the bait. More squid drownings followed, with repeated returning of the tackle to the sea. The twitches started again, followed by a tug on the rod tip. I struck, and found that whatever had taken the bait had managed to snag me on the reef. No amount of jerking the rod would free it, neither would a good hard tug, so I decided to pull for the break. It worked beautifully, but maybe too beautifully. Because as I was pulling there was a bang, and lo and behold, there was my reel on the deck. What the? Amazingly the aluminium casting at the foot of the reel where it sits in the reel seat had broken. Just snapped. So there I was, 2 30lb test curve rods and no reels and to make matters worse, I hadn’t caught a single reef fish. Having lived abroad I said to my mate, “if this was a lake in the UK I could pop to a local tackle shop and buy another.” But 120Km from land, that wasn’t really much of an option. The fixed spool reel was dead, totally unusable; but maybe I could tinker with something on the other reel. I’m sure we’ve all done it; taken something apart to fix it knowing full well in the back of the mind that if it wasn’t broken before we started, it certainly would be by the time we’re done. And of course this was no exception to the rule! The side-plate of the reel departed in spectacular fashion, resulting in a scary “ping” as a couple of springs flew off, never to be seen again. Ever the optimist, I assessed my options. All was not totally lost, as I did have a small rod and reel with me: a size 4 or 400 fixed spool that takes about 150 metres of 15lb line. So I stripped the line and spooled up with the 80lb braid from the dead multiplier. Job’s a good’un and I was fishing again with the reel attached to the reef rod. Clearly an unusual coupling, but needs must! After having tried a few spots along the reef we had found a very nice pinnacle coming up from the bottom at about 25 metres and reaching to about 12 metres below the surface. We were sure we’d actually got the anchor hooked into the side of the pinnacle and it looked very fishy (in a good way!) on the sounder. To be honest, I wasn’t fishing hard. I’d had a bit of a hectic, stressed week and was really happy just to be away from it all, no phone, no web and this winding down had also made me quite drowsy. Added to the brilliant sunshine I was content to do not a lot. A couple of small coral trout, fusiliers and cod came my way as well as more nuisance sharks. My mate was putting in the effort and was rewarded with some bigger fish, although no reef monsters were keen to visit. We were watching and photographing the waves breaking over the reef where it broke the surface. It was quite an amazing thing, to see surf 80 miles out from shore. As the sun started to go down we were treated to a beautiful sunset and short period of dusk before one of the most amazing skies revealed itself. There were no clouds and obviously no ambient light, just the light of the stars brilliant, framing the Southern Cross in spectacular fashion. After my busy stressful week and some early mornings I was only fit to drop, My mate was obviously tired too, so after a bit of a natter and 10 minutes jigging for squid it was time to turn in. This was approximately 8pm. My mate set the alarm for 3 am, and he also set the anchor alarm on the GPS so that if we were to drift or drag, the anchor alarm would start screaming at us. With an air temperature at about thirty as well as the surrounding water at a similar temperature it’s easy to sleep on the deck on a mattress; even with the deck tossing in the wind, which if anything had picked up a little more. I took a quick look sideways to reacquaint myself with the constellation of Orion. I’d use it as my own personal position fix. If I was to wake in the night I’d know if we’d moved. With all precautions sorted, I laid down and was out like a light. Have you ever been rudely woken up by having a bucket of water, albeit warm water thrown over you? Because that’s the best description of what befell us at around 9:30 that I can come up with. A big wave came over the stern of the boat. My first thought (albeit from a sleep-fuddled brain) was obviously unfit for publication. As I jumped up and started heading forward, my second thought made its presence felt. “This is a dry boat. In which case, why am I wet?” And more fully awake now, the third thought “and that hit us over the stern!” This isn’t what you’d normally expect, and hugely dangerous. Thought number three had barely been thunk, when the second wave hit us in the same manner. The boat was swamped with water and we were totally confused as it was absolutely pitch dark. The only thing that was obvious was that we had drifted somehow onto the reef and were in the middle of the surf we’d seen and photographed earlier. My mate, the skipper, was by now at the driving position. Much credit to him, he started the motor and threw the boat in gear. He knew instinctively that he needed to put the bow into the waves without delay. That’s when the third wave hit us abeam, sideways. The boat tilted at an absolutely impossible angle and everything in it that wasn’t bolted down made a break for the opposite, starboard side of the boat. How we didn’t capsize, only the sea and the boat will ever know. And they weren’t telling. That was pretty much the excitement over because by the time the fourth wave arrived we were pointed into it and heading for clear water. Luckily the boat has a self draining deck, because we might not have made it otherwise. Thank goodness for modern four-stroke outboards that start at the touch of the key, unlike the old ones we’re all familiar with that needed pull after pull of the starting rope, followed by a ten minute wait to allow the flooded cylinders to recover before repeating the process. And even again if we are particularly unlucky! We had a big esky with us. It was full of food, drink, fish and lots of ice, two gallon buckets of water to act as chill-bricks. These buckets were frozen, as were bottles and other containers. This constituted a substantial weight, against the starboard side of the boat. Earlier in the day it had taken two of us to shift it a little, this time I did it on my own. God bless adrenaline! My mate drove us away from the reef to a spot about 24 metres deep where he stopped and we just looked at each other dumbstruck. We recovered the anchor rope and discovered that it had parted, probably rubbed away on the submerged pinnacle. So I tied on the spare anchor and threw it overboard. Never have I been quite as concerned that one of my knots should hold! With our wits slowly returning, we tidied the boat, talking as we worked. We agreed that the anchor alarm obviously wasn’t loud enough, I’m half deaf these days, and we were both sleeping deeply. Looking at the GPS chart we had been washed onto the green area, the area that dries at low water. How lucky were we to have had a high tide! I’ve a suggestion for GPS manufacturers. They need to incorporate the facility to plug in a klaxon. If the anchor alarm isn’t loud enough to wake the dead, then “dead” is what those relying on it could be. We pointed out to each other that had we struck, we’d have had no time to radio a mayday: no time to grab a life jacket and no time to set off the distress beacon. We also noted that in the surf we’d have been washed onto the rocks, and there’s where we would have stayed. Neither of us could have been able to swim against the surf. We would have just disappeared and maybe in a few days the authorities would find a few bits of floating wreckage. Of course, even with a rescue effort, we’d be long gone by the time a helicopter arrived. I thanked my pal: his quick thinking, gut reaction and sheer bloody luck saved us. Even though we were sure the second anchor was holding, we thought it politic to keep a watch. We took turns until I woke at 6.30am, with my mate concerned that the motor oil warning light was on. By now the sea was like a millpond, so we removed the engine cowling and checked the oil level on the dipstick. There was clearly plenty, and we decided that in this instance infallible olde-world technology( I.e. a dipstick) was more reliable than modern electrical technology that had taken a bath in salt water. We also agreed that discretion being the better part of valour, now that it was light we should make for home. The shore was 146 km away. That’s nearly one hundred miles. Running true to form, the anchor was stuck fast. We cut the rope and headed back to shore. Thankfully the 2.5 hour trip was completed uneventfully, getting us back around 9:15am. I might be going out again next weekend, after I’ve bought some new reels of course! They say the sea is mistress to many, but has no master. Didn’t we prove that to be correct?Keith Palmer


Allan Darwen – Ayr, Qld
Glenda and Mike Brooks – Weipa, QLD


Damage to inside the vessel after the strike


Scorch marks on the door


Our beautiful boat before the lightning strike


Blown out hatch – when lightning strikes a boat


The vessel was written off after the lightning strike
Adam McLauchlan – Moreton Bay, QLD


Zetta II – very good sea boat with low centre of gravity
Troy Moore


Chris Jones
- It is not a safe practice to anchor in open waters with both front and rear anchors. The boat needs to be able to face bow into the waves, to avoid rolling over.
- Make sure your life jackets and EPIRBS are as accessible as they can be. You never know what could happen or when you may need them.


Udo Hennig
Page back about 15 years, BOM predicted 5-10 all night and day, perfect for an overnighter in our trusted 34 foot diesel cabin cruiser. She is a GRP displacement cruiser with a single 6 L diesel donk. She can do 8 knots downhill. We headed for Keeper Reef about 70 km off Townsville, for an overnight fishing trip. Conditions were great and we arrived on dark to make anchor. I chose to anchor shallow, 10-12m, so I could dive up the plough and chain the next morning should it become entangled overnight. I don’t do reef picks overnight. We did some good fishing for lippers and it was time for bed, our two boys aged 9 and 11 at the time, were tired and so were my wife and I, aircon on and we were sleeping in no time…… Fast forward around midnight, I wake to the sound of heavy chain jarring and the boat heaving. The boat was rolling badly and its bow was forced under water with every heavy swell making its way past us. slipped and slid into action. Instantly the wife was seasick, whilst I scrambled to find a solution to this pitch black mid night problem. The swells had grown to about 2 meters and the wind was howling 25kn plus. Current, tide and ever changing wind direction had wrapped the boat and with that, the anchor chain numerous turns around a bommie, to a point where the boat was dangerously short on chain. I had had 30-40 m of heavy 10mm chain out originally and needed to cut urgently, after letting out another 20m plus a length of rope as shock absorber, to stop the boat from tearing itself apart. Kyle my older son, then 11 years old, decided he was hungry in all that drama and microwaved himself some scrambled eggs, how is that for nerves?!! I got the angle grinder out (yes guys, the lifesaver everybody must have on board, if you have chain only), fired the generator (no cordless in those days) and proceeded to cut the chain in the worst conditions, with sea water spraying all over me on the bow. Finally the chain and anchor let go of us and we are free to run home, in these horrible conditions. As I looked over my shoulder, angle grinder still in hand, I see my wife leaning so far over the gunwale (sick as), that her feet were dangling way off the deck, with most of her upper body and arms over the outside. I raced across the slippery and wet deck and caught her by her ankles before she went over the side in the heavy beam on swell. She was so sick, that she no longer had any sense of balance or orientation. No doubt, we would have lost her in the dark of night, with the boat drifting and heaving in this heavy weather. That was way too close. Hell, it was too close !!. But not the end of the story yet! We are on our way now, carefully motoring at 5 knots due to the heavy conditions. Rocking and rolling. But at least on our way. Engine stops, starter motor turning the engine, but it wont fire. Boat immediately turned beam to swell and rolled dangerously. Kyle is playing Gameboy and thinks this is fun!!!! The youngest one and his mother are not happy, with a bucket over their respective heads and under strict instruction to stay inside the cabin, whilst I am bleeding the fuel lines and filters in the engine room. I instruct the wife to press the starter button, with her head occasionally peeping out of the bucket, to see that we still had an engine that could take us home. She fires and we are on our way, or so we thought. 5 minutes later the same thing and so it went on and on and on, an air leak, somewhere in the fuel system, but where??? Boat is taking water over the gunwales, every time the engine stops, she turns beam to and it feels like she wants to roll over in the massive white capped swells. The wife stayed put at the helm, head in bucket and I stayed put in the engine room and bleed and start and bleed and start till my thumbs had no skin left and started bleeding from pumping diesel manually (nonstop eventually) through the hot fuel pump, whilst the wife held the boat on course. We made it back into the marina the next morning after 9 hrs of limping home and berthed immediately into the first vacant berth. Couldn’t be bothered to go to ours, that would have taken too long, ( a couple of minutes we simply didn’t have left in us ). We tied up and fell asleep where we sat and only woke up, when we were chased away by the manager, for illegally berthing in somebody else’s berth. He must have thought we were boat people. He was briefed sternly by me and he understood. It turned out that an invisible hairline crack had formed on one of the two fuel filter, water separator top plates. It took me a long time to find, by which time we had replaced the lot. THANKS BOM!! Regards, Udo Liz Kyle and Kurt P.S. Ryan I want to let you know that you hold a special place in my family’s history . We have just celebrated our 21th new year in Australia since leaving Cape Town, South Africa in 1999. Townsville became our new home, because of you! I stumbled across your Townsville estuary and Reef fishing charter website whilst browsing, (still in South Africa) for a destination with good fishing in Australia. . What’s the point of starting a new life when the fishing is poor ?. I had never heard of Townsville, before I got to find your web site. One very early, dark morning in 2000, you were in the process of launching at the coast guard ramp, I saw your name and logo and I introduced myself and told you, that it was your fishing pictures, that sealed our fate, to arrive for a new life in Townsville. You might even remember. We were launching a trailer boat then. ( instead of the permitted one car, we brought the boat from SA, prioritiesPaul Szybiak


Bruce Lake – Barwon Banks Qld
