[Paddlewise] Rescue on the not-so-high seas

or Sleeping With the Enemy

Yesterday, my wife and I put in for a nice Sunday afternoon paddle in
Port Jefferson Harbor (Long Island, NY) and proceeded to paddle around
to Setauket Harbor to the west.  While exploring the coast (and ogling
at some really nice homes), we came upon a pond, about 300-400 yards in
diameter, adjoining Setauket Harbor to the west.  At the center of the
pond was a jet ski, with a guy and gal aboard, going nowhere.

Now this pond was maybe 8 inches to a foot deep with a very soft
mud/mucky bottom.  Since the jet ski seemed to be in distress (the gal
weakly waving in a distressing way), we paddled over to investigate.  As
we approached, the guy asked if I had a spare "oar" he could borrow.
Apparently, they entered the pond at a high rate of speed, which allowed
them to get to the center before they got clogged with muck and
essentially ran aground.  They tried to walk away, but found they sank
really deeply into the muck with every step.

Now, is this every kayaker's dream, or what??  Well the guy's eyes lit
up when he saw the spare paddle I carry on my back deck and he really
broke into a smile when I reached around to my back, unclipped my tow
line (I was wearing a tow belt) and clipped in onto the jet ski's front
eye.  The smile disappeared when I said "I claim salvage rights".

Since we only had one tow line, I asked my wife to scout out the
location of deeper water and I started to tow.  The guy on the jet ski
was a big guy and, with only me pulling, I think I moved them only about
an inch per stroke.  Next I gave the jet ski crew my spare paddle and
had them help.  Now we were making about two inches per stroke, but the
wind was taking some of that back.

In the end, the guy and gal took turns walking in the muck behind the
jet ski.  The combination of less weight on the jet ski and whatever
pushing the walker could contribute, now made the process possible.  In
5 to 10 minutes I was able to tow them to deep enough water so they
could clear the engine and be on their way.

As my wife and I paddled back to the put-in, I felt really smug and a
little glad that I had spent time in the gym this year.

My parting advice to the jet skier: "When you see a pond with houses on
the shore and none of them have a dock, take that as a hint....."

Bill Leonhardt
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