October Islander Mothership Trip Just Announced! - Kayak Fishing Adventures on Big Water’s Edge

Zed · 09-08-2008, 01:02 PM

Several times. Never on a yak. Mostly on anchor in 15-20kt wind w/swell.
Kind of a spooky (to me) couple fathom deep, reefy, former island in the middle of nowhere --that sometimes breaks, big, in the winter. It's got kelp and boiling reef, but its 100miles from shore and 50 from SCI. There's a late Summer window for fairer weather out there. I'm really hoping this hits it, because it's also right adjacent to deep blue water! There is no wind protection, so combine that with its ~50mile proximity to Clemente (Pyramid), it's a risk to go fish the Cortes in any boat. Getting it good enough to launch and then fish from yaks enjoyably is a real gamble --I'm willing to take to fish there. But extra time at SCI isn't a bad consolation.

I actually thought getting out there to yak m/s would be impossible, back in the day, but that was back before there was even much m/s competition. Now there's several operations taking yaks all over the place.

Think calm thoughts for the next 3 weeks or so, would ya?

tackle dummy · 09-08-2008, 04:00 PM

Zed thanks for the Info.

2 more spots gone!

Zed · November 2, 1985

I've almost reached the yakrider, babbling incoherently stage. There's been some great reports from the Tanner (justa 10-15mi jog from Cortez) of big hg yt and even bft on the anchor...

Little trivia:
Anyone reading aboard the USS Enterprise in '85? I'm sure they might have something to say about the Cortez.

November 2, 1985

Bishop's Rock, about 100 miles west of San Diego, Calif.

USS ENTERPRISE is grounded on Bishop's Rock. Reports say the ENTERPRISE sustains a 60-foot gash in the outer hull and damages one propeller. The carrier continues planned operations, taking part in ReadiEx 86-1 exercise before going into drydock on November 27.

From this link:
http://navysite.de/cvn/cvn65.html

Rumor is she knocked off a chunk, so Bishop's rock no longer breaks water at mean low tide --more like Bishop's reef now.

habanero · 09-17-2008, 12:22 PM

Any spots left?

Siebler · 09-17-2008, 01:32 PM

Yes! We had 2 cancellations today so if you want to go on what hopefully will be an AWESOME trip please call OEX asap and book your spot.

aguachico · 09-17-2008, 02:14 PM

Guys, right now the BFT are supposed to be thick at the tanner and the Cortez. Hope you have the weather to get on them. Could be epic.

habanero · 09-18-2008, 08:33 AM

I did it!

I'm in!

One spot left.

See you all then!

Siebler · 09-18-2008, 08:55 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by habanero

I did it!

I'm in!

One spot left.

Easy there man, There are about 5 spots left to fill. Call in and book these last few spots guys, This should turn out to be an awesome trip.

FISHIONADO · November 2, 1985

Quote:

Originally Posted by Zed

I've almost reached the yakrider, babbling incoherently stage. There's been some great reports from the Tanner (justa 10-15mi jog from Cortez) of big hg yt and even bft on the anchor...

Little trivia:
Anyone reading aboard the USS Enterprise in '85? I'm sure they might have something to say about the Cortez.

November 2, 1985

Bishop's Rock, about 100 miles west of San Diego, Calif.

USS ENTERPRISE is grounded on Bishop's Rock. Reports say the ENTERPRISE sustains a 60-foot gash in the outer hull and damages one propeller. The carrier continues planned operations, taking part in ReadiEx 86-1 exercise before going into drydock on November 27.

From this link:
http://navysite.de/cvn/cvn65.html

Rumor is she knocked off a chunk, so Bishop's rock no longer breaks water at mean low tide --more like Bishop's reef now.

I was a radar technician in Squadron VAW-117 on the Enterprise in 1985. I was in our repair shop on the forward hangar deck when we hit the rock. I never felt a thing. I noticed we were leaning to one side for over an hour but expected we were just going in a big circle, that wasn't unusual when hanging out waiting for aircraft to return. Finally the captain came on the P.A. and told us we had hit a rock, we never had a general quarters. I had heard that we were landing aircraft, they need the ship to be moving into the wind, and that the navigator had warned the captain about Bishops Point. They calculated we could land the last aircraft and then make the turn in deep water. From what I understood we had a 10' tall gash 60' long below the water line. We stayed at sea for several more days and conducted more flight ops, then the ship was sent to Hunters Point for repair. I was surprised when the captain, Leuschner, was promoted to fleet admiral a few years later.

Good luck to all on this trip, wish I could make it.

bajadog · 09-29-2008, 04:43 AM

Thanks for your service FISHIONADO.

Zed · 09-29-2008, 06:52 AM

Fishionado, that is EXACTLY what I was looking for. I knew there was someone. Thanks for retelling, and thank you for serving!

"I noticed we were leaning to one side for over an hour but expected we were just going in a big circle, that wasn't unusual when hanging out waiting for aircraft to return."

That is a testament to how huge that ship was. I understand you were on duty, but just how often would you actually see the light of day?

FISHIONADO · 09-29-2008, 07:18 AM

I don't remember looking oustside that day but I am sure I wouldn't have seen anything, we didn't hang up on the rock, just a glancing blow. The only kelp I ever saw at sea was small floating paddies. I doubt we were in the thick of it, obvious shallow water hazard. There was something about that last aircraft, maybe it had mechanical problems, the ship had to be going into the wind with 30mph wind over the top to land aircraft typically.

I was fortunate and got outside often. My primary job was like a maytag repairman, during a 7 month westpac I had 36 repair jobs where someone from the flight deck would determine which radar box had failed and send it to me to repair. Most would take 1 hour or less. With high power radar you could often smell your way to the failure. The other Hawkeye radar tech got busted for weed in Hawaii so I was the only one for 6 months, they couldn't send me off to work in the mess halls or toilet repair like most new sailors on the ship. I filled my time by volunteering to work with the flight deck electronic techs, supporting ship-to-ship material transfers, watching betamax movies , and playing guitar. Embarrassing duty compared to the folks serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Much respect to them.

dgax65 · 09-30-2008, 11:12 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by FISHIONADO

I was a radar technician in Squadron VAW-117 on the Enterprise in 1985.
I was surprised when the captain, Leuschner, was promoted to fleet admiral a few years later.

Enterprise was the Teflon ship. Rocky Spane's career also survived an Enterprise grounding (he retired as VADM)

My division's (RC-11) berthing compartment was directly over one of the voids that flooded because of the grounding. I heard stories of them sounding the void and never hitting bottom

She's a tough ship. If she could survive multiple MK-82 detonations on the flight deck

a little thing like hitting an undersea mountain wasn't going to stop her.

Zed · 09-30-2008, 11:34 AM

When was that, dgax?

I saw something else pre/during ('63 guess) Vietnam where one of the F4 turbine blower's --AKA Huffer-- (a mobile starter to get the plane's turbine moving) exhaust cooked one of the F4's rockets causing a chain reaction, including 500#bombs going off on deck.

The planes in your pic seem to be F14's and maybe an A8, definitely post F4.

dgax65 · 09-30-2008, 12:30 PM

Those are A-7 Corsair with their wingtips folded. It makes them look a little like a twin tail F-14. The Enterprise flight deck fire (the big one) was in January 1969. More info: http://navysite.de/cvn/cvn65.html

I think the Forrestal fire is the one you are referring to. A start cart set off a Zuni which hit fueled and armed A-4 Skyhawks on the opposite side of the deck.

The Navy suffered three major carrier fires in the late sixties: Oriskany in '66, Forrestal in '67 and the Enterprise in '69. Lessons learned from those fires were incorporated into new damage control procedures, equipment and training. All of the subsequent flight deck fires have been extinguished much more rapidly and with far fewer casualties.

09-17-2008, 01:32 PM	#5
Siebler Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: Richland Oregon Posts: 1,547	Spots Still Open! Yes! We had 2 cancellations today so if you want to go on what hopefully will be an AWESOME trip please call OEX asap and book your spot. __________________ CJ Siebler

09-29-2008, 04:43 AM	#10
bajadog I eats what I kills Join Date: Apr 2008 Location: San Diego Posts: 393	Thanks for your service FISHIONADO. __________________ Please release bill-fish.

09-30-2008, 12:30 PM	#15
dgax65 Guerro Grande Join Date: Jan 2006 Location: Houston, TX Posts: 629	Those are A-7 Corsair with their wingtips folded. It makes them look a little like a twin tail F-14. The Enterprise flight deck fire (the big one) was in January 1969. More info: http://navysite.de/cvn/cvn65.html I think the Forrestal fire is the one you are referring to. A start cart set off a Zuni which hit fueled and armed A-4 Skyhawks on the opposite side of the deck. The Navy suffered three major carrier fires in the late sixties: Oriskany in '66, Forrestal in '67 and the Enterprise in '69. Lessons learned from those fires were incorporated into new damage control procedures, equipment and training. All of the subsequent flight deck fires have been extinguished much more rapidly and with far fewer casualties. __________________ Douglas Gaxiola Team No Fish- Amateur Staff Last edited by dgax65; 09-30-2008 at 02:44 PM.

09-08-2008, 01:02 PM	#1
Zed BANNED Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: W of 5 Posts: 1,265	Several times. Never on a yak. Mostly on anchor in 15-20kt wind w/swell. Kind of a spooky (to me) couple fathom deep, reefy, former island in the middle of nowhere --that sometimes breaks, big, in the winter. It's got kelp and boiling reef, but its 100miles from shore and 50 from SCI. There's a late Summer window for fairer weather out there. I'm really hoping this hits it, because it's also right adjacent to deep blue water! There is no wind protection, so combine that with its ~50mile proximity to Clemente (Pyramid), it's a risk to go fish the Cortes in any boat. Getting it good enough to launch and then fish from yaks enjoyably is a real gamble --I'm willing to take to fish there. But extra time at SCI isn't a bad consolation. I actually thought getting out there to yak m/s would be impossible, back in the day, but that was back before there was even much m/s competition. Now there's several operations taking yaks all over the place. Think calm thoughts for the next 3 weeks or so, would ya?

09-08-2008, 04:00 PM	#2
tackle dummy Junior Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: SD Posts: 23	Zed thanks for the Info. 2 more spots gone!

09-17-2008, 12:22 PM	#4
habanero Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: SD Posts: 133	Any spots left?

09-17-2008, 02:14 PM	#6
aguachico Senior Member Join Date: Mar 2005 Posts: 719	Guys, right now the BFT are supposed to be thick at the tanner and the Cortez. Hope you have the weather to get on them. Could be epic.

09-18-2008, 08:33 AM	#7
habanero Senior Member Join Date: Oct 2007 Location: SD Posts: 133	I did it! I'm in! One spot left. See you all then!

09-29-2008, 06:52 AM	#11
Zed BANNED Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: W of 5 Posts: 1,265	Fishionado, that is EXACTLY what I was looking for. I knew there was someone. Thanks for retelling, and thank you for serving! "I noticed we were leaning to one side for over an hour but expected we were just going in a big circle, that wasn't unusual when hanging out waiting for aircraft to return." That is a testament to how huge that ship was. I understand you were on duty, but just how often would you actually see the light of day?

09-29-2008, 07:18 AM	#12
FISHIONADO Senior Member Join Date: May 2006 Posts: 698	I don't remember looking oustside that day but I am sure I wouldn't have seen anything, we didn't hang up on the rock, just a glancing blow. The only kelp I ever saw at sea was small floating paddies. I doubt we were in the thick of it, obvious shallow water hazard. There was something about that last aircraft, maybe it had mechanical problems, the ship had to be going into the wind with 30mph wind over the top to land aircraft typically. I was fortunate and got outside often. My primary job was like a maytag repairman, during a 7 month westpac I had 36 repair jobs where someone from the flight deck would determine which radar box had failed and send it to me to repair. Most would take 1 hour or less. With high power radar you could often smell your way to the failure. The other Hawkeye radar tech got busted for weed in Hawaii so I was the only one for 6 months, they couldn't send me off to work in the mess halls or toilet repair like most new sailors on the ship. I filled my time by volunteering to work with the flight deck electronic techs, supporting ship-to-ship material transfers, watching betamax movies , and playing guitar. Embarrassing duty compared to the folks serving in Iraq and Afghanistan. Much respect to them.

09-30-2008, 11:34 AM	#14
Zed BANNED Join Date: Mar 2005 Location: W of 5 Posts: 1,265	When was that, dgax? I saw something else pre/during ('63 guess) Vietnam where one of the F4 turbine blower's --AKA Huffer-- (a mobile starter to get the plane's turbine moving) exhaust cooked one of the F4's rockets causing a chain reaction, including 500#bombs going off on deck. The planes in your pic seem to be F14's and maybe an A8, definitely post F4.