[Coiloil37]

There was a bit of a story in the middle there. It was mid afternoon and I was standing at the bait board rigging something and my hat blew off my head. I was pretty attached to that hat so told porter to do a lap and I would gaff it. He did a small(ish) circle and lined back up on it. I told him to stay about a meter off the hat because the chine wash makes it hard to see and pushes it down if you pull up directly on it. He missed. We went past about 4 meters away and I couldn’t reach it with the 2m gaff. Then, for reasons only known to him he throws the boat in neutral???
With the lines going slack and the boat drifting back over them I jumped on the controls and kicked it in gear. A drag went off immediately so I put it in neutral and we cleared the gear. I trimmed the motor up and found about 50m of braid wrapped around and under the prop. Great.
Of course the boat drifts with her bum into the seas so I’m hanging off the back of the boat in 140m of water trying to sort this out getting smashed with waves, prop is in and out of the water, bobbing around like a cork… I’m real happy at this point. After about five minutes of cutting and pulling at this line I realise it’s so bad the only way I’m fixing it is to take the prop off. Big call to remove the prop 70 km out in the ocean but it had to be done.
So I carefully removed the split pin, nut and washer, pulled the prop, unwrapped everything, reinstalled it all and got to the split pin. I had him put it back in gear to lock the driveshaft so the prop wouldn’t spin. Got the cotter pin back in, split it with my needle nose and just as I felt it was splitting and figured I was done the pliers slipped off. I hit the back my thumb just over the nail bed on the business end of the prop. The blood trail out the back of the boat was instantaneous and profuse. I jumped back in the boat painting the transom and carpet with blood and flopped the flap of meat back down where it belonged and put a Kleenex over it with some pressure.
I told porter to dig the first aid kit out and got some gauze and tape on it. The cut was across the whole thumb, down to the bone and back toward the knuckle about 5/16” long.

Good thing it wasn’t an alloy prop or I might if dented it.

Lost my favourite hat too.

Then I got home and Nolan notices my thumb is all wrapped up. He asked what happened, I told him. He reflected on it for a second then asks… “dad, how many dumb things have you done in your life”? Lots, buddy. Lots.


I’m back at work today. Good timing cause there is another cyclone moving past bringing 40+ knot wind and heavy seas. Maybe it’ll settle down by next days off.