Kiter tows in stranded boat with young couple and baby on board.

[Todd RT]

So Doug and I are riding last night, on a NE wind, gusting from 18mph to the low to mid 20's. We're on the inside of Caledesi and Honeymoon Islands.

It was an offshore wind, sun was setting, tide ripping out through Hurricane Pass.

I had just landed my kite, when I look South and see Doug towing a small boat. Yes.. with his 16M Cabrinha SB2 and a Jimmy Lewis Flightdeck. I thought he was just towing this stranded boat to Caledesi so they could call the Ranger. But no, Doug tows them across Hurricane Pass, fighting the current and the offshore wind to get them safely to Honeymoon Island.

When they arrived at Honeymoon, I see a young couple, VERY Young, with a baby, I'm guessing no more than 6 months old, in the boat. It's just a little 10ft. plastic dinghy with an electric trolling motor and 2 dead batteries. The baby was strapped to the car seat, which was balanced in the middle of the boat.

To top it off, after getting them safely ashore...Doug kited over to the other side of Honeymoon Island, all the way up to the dock in this marina (you'd have to know the spot to appreciate the tightness in this cove) and gets the Ranger's attention. The ranger then came out and helped the young couple get their boat off Honeymoon, and back to Dunedin Causeway, I guess is where they started.

Kudos to Doug for helping this young couple and their baby!

THIS is the type of kiting stories we need on the news! Not the negative publicity we've had lately!

[ricki]

Way to go Doug and thanks for passing on word about it Todd. Where was the boat located on this map roughly? Were they east or west of the islands? If they were east of the islands, was the outgoing tide taking them out through the cut into the Gulf?

http://www.pinellascounty.org/Plan/blueways/images/map-2.gif
From: http://www.pinellascounty.org/Plan/blueways/map2.htm

[Todd RT]

They were just East of the North Tip of Caladesi Island, on the ICW. About Halfway to Dunedin Causeway. (just near Hurricane Pass)

And Yes, the tide would have probably taken them out thru Hurricane Pass (between Caladesi and Honeymoon Islands) out into the Gulf.

Low tide was @ 8:09pm. A strong outgoing tide.

[conchxpress]

Will this be on the news?

Anyone contacted any of the news channels?

[ricki]

Todd about what time did Doug first contact the family in the boat and what time did he get them ashore roughly? Did he just pickup a bow line and start pulling them along? Any guess at what the max current might have been in the cut? Did they say how long they had been disabled and how far they had drifted. Did they make any other comments worth repeating particularly after Doug had them back on land?


I'm guessing at locations from your discription. Could you tell me in what direction and approximately by what distance I am off in:

1. Point where Doug picked up the tow.

2. Point where Doug towed the boat on to Honeymoon Island.

3. Marina where Doug went over to find a ranger.

http://www.fksa.org/albums/album347/Hurricane_Pass_2.jpg


http://www.fksa.org/albums/album347/Hurricane_Pass.jpg

[Chad085]

I'm assuming you guys had a boat and launched from the inside of caladesi?? Don't get me wrong, I'm glad Doug was able to help, but if you launched from dunedin causeway on a NE wind and a strong outgoing tide YOU could have very well been the ones in need of assistance. Please tell me I'm wrong here:confused:

[Todd RT]

Rick,

You got it about right man! I was standing on the beach @ honeymoon. So that's as close as I can say. I'll see if Doug can chime in.



Chad,

No we didn't launch on the LEEWARD side of Dunedin Causeway that would be UNSAFE. We had a nice side-onshore launch on the east tip of Dog Beach on Honeymoon. Definately an ADVANCED launch, NOT a beginner's launch. Doug and I have been riding these islands for over 15 years, I know the waters here like the back of my hand.

[Chad085]

Thanks for clearing that up Todd. I also have quite a bit of experience in these waters. I was born at Morton Plant Hospital 23 years ago and have spent a large portion of those 23 years in the waters of this area, be it surfing, fishing, swimming, wakeboarding, or in the past year and a half, kiteboarding, which is why a red flag popped up when the words "NE wind, dunedin, honeymoon, and caladesi" came into the same sentence. Me personally, i think that outgoing current and the inherently gusty conditions would guide me to a different riding spot, but without a boat riding a NE north county is rather difficult, and your other choices involve lots of precious ga$ driving to less than favorable places in tampa bay.

Sometimes you just have to wonder what people are thinking, a 10 foot dinghy with a 6 month old child in a car seat??? Probly no life jackets either. That should be child abuse. A careful consideration of all weather and water conditions should be on everyone's mind before getting wet. We had 8 swim assists on clearwater beach on monday alone, 4 of which were patrons on rafts that paid no attention to a 15 mph offshore wind and mild outgoing current near the pier, despite posted warnings, and quickly found themselves further out than they could successfully swim back. Ignorance should be painful.....

[Steve-O]

Definately awesome job Doug....and no dought a newsworthy story especially with the bad kite accident last year on the causeway.

Let's contact Bay News 9.

[ricki]

Yes, it is worth getting this story out there. I would like to do a "Way To Go!" article on this and pass the story around the world a bit. Could someone put Doug in touch with me? Also, if any one has riding shots of Doug and Todd for the article, ideally off Dunedin and a sunset or twilight shot of the area of teh cut, that would be great.

[Todd RT]

Rick,

I'll get you in touch with Doug, I've certainly got a lot of pictures of us both.

But Doug's the one you want pics of, not me.

I sure wish I had my camera with me last night. DAMN.

By the way, he used his leash to tow them in. Was amazing to see how fast they were moving. I swear that little boat was on a plane!

I didn't mention earlier how impressed the Rangers were at the fact that a boat was towed with a kite! LOL!

I am curious if the couple got an A$$ chewing from the rangers for putting the baby in that dangerous of a position. If that little boat had capsized, it woulda been a bad scene, with the baby in a car seat.

Rick, feel free to PM me if you need to.