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Lobsterman
Super Nomad
Posts: 1696
Registered: 10-7-2008
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My Erik Deja Vu Experience
For over 40 years I use to camp out and fish the waters of the Sea of Cortez on both sides (use to live in Scottsdale and now San Diego). Sometime
around the Year 2000 three of my buddies and I got on a San Felipe charter boat another work aquaintance scheduled in July. I got our group there
early i believe on a sunday for a late afternoon or early evening departure. I snuck on the boat early uninvited and went to find us a cabin. My best
friend was over 70 at the time and needed ac power to run his sleep apnea mask. When it came time to get on the boat, I told my buds to carry the
luggage cuz I was going as fast as I could straight for the prime cabin forward with 4 bunks, two a/c units, and lots of storage. The captain delayed
our departure cuz he said some important govt officials were a last minute addition. WTF. The boat was already at capacity. Finally the four officials
arrived. The captain came to me and said that we would have to move cuz the officials wanted our cabin. By now all the good cabins were taken. I told
the captain he could have the cabin but we wanted our money back and off this boat. After a bunch of evil stares and words I did not understand he
went and picked on another gringo group who had the next best cabin. Those four gringos moved into the worst 2-man cabins on the boat both without a/c
or power. I'm thinking we're off to a bad start. I'm use to being into control of my environment, therefore I was a bit uneasy about this boat and the
captain.
Late afternoon we departed. About midnight I wake up to a rocking boat. I look out the window and see us surfing down 30+ foot waves in 60 mph winds
heading due south. Turns out there was a high pressure as usual in the west but a hurricane off Cabo. Thus all the wind was venturing down the SOC
causing these hugh swells. I could not believe my eyes. How could a captain miss this weather report? Later I found out the Navy told him not to
depart but he did anyway cuz he did not want to return about $15,000 in our money. Fortunently for us the waves were straight down hill. I got
everyone up cuz nobody from the crew alerted us to anything. 30 minutes later the boat turned to the starboard and tried to make it inside Gonzaga
Bay. I did not know we were trying to make it to that bay but figured he was looking for a safe haven. I was swearing at myself for getting my close
friends into this situation. I figured the old man was toast if we did not make it and it was my fault. No life vest, no notice from the crew,
nothing. I woke up some of the other guys just incase we had to jump ship. For some reason I never thought to ask about life vests. Another mistake I
made. Any way we made it safely inside the Gonzaga Bay where we anchored for 3 days of our 7 day adventure. 6" bay bass is all I could catch during
that time but we were alive to experience another day. Finally the waves and winds subsided and off we went south. Cuz of the lost time we only made
it to Refugio Bay at the north end of La Guardia Island (north of LA Bay) and spent 3 days catching small 1-2 lb grouper.
During that hectic time I swore to myself if I get out of this predicament I will never, I repeat NEVER let a mexican control my destiny again. I"ve
had few trips down there since to Conception Bay, LA Bay and La Salina but the mexican experience and allure has never been the same as when I was an
adventurous kid. I have not been back since 2005 due to the decrease in fishing and the security issues. My only mexican experience now is taking my
21' fishing boat to the Coronado Islands or outside tuna areas. This year I do not even do that cuz the fish are gone. Those tuna pens are catching
all the local bait fish to feed the 50 or so bluefin grow-out pens at Coronados and just north of Ensenada. The mexican navy is now requiring all
boats to have mexican liability insurance from a mexican company and each person MUST have a passport. Rumor is the korean owners of the pens do not
want us catching their bluefin and using the navy to enforce their way.
For 25 years I dreamed about retiring in the Mulege area and fish the waters daily and lie about what I caught at the local watering hole. Now all I
do since I retired in March is travel the USA (the Redneck Riviera), play Torrey Pines golf course 3 times a week and fish 2-3 day a week locally.
Look how many thousands of dollars that is not going south of San Diego yearly from me and I'm only one person.
Oh by the way the San Felipe boat was called,
The Erik.
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bajamigo
Super Nomad
Posts: 1218
Registered: 6-17-2006
Location: Punta Banda, BC
Member Is Offline
Mood: hubimos llegado
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This story leaves me speechless. It's sad how this experience changed the course of your life.
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jakecard
Nomad
Posts: 141
Registered: 7-13-2011
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You poor man. What a contemptibly self-absorbent post.
But hey, at least you are golfing three-times a week at Torrey Pines, which in itself carries some redemptive value, right?
Jake
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8084
Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
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Well, this is a very negative report about many aspects of baja fishing. But you really can't blame the outfit for the storm that came up and ruined
the trip. That's fishing. You adjust. There are also times when things turn out better than you actually planned.
That's just one part of your report. There are many others. But it's amazing how people are willing to forget everything else if the fishing is real
good.
I say continue with your old Mulege dreams and take the good with the bad.
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David K
Honored Nomad
Posts: 64857
Registered: 8-30-2002
Location: San Diego County
Member Is Offline
Mood: Have Baja Fever
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Thanks Lobsterman for sharing... it is a scary thought indeed.
From what I read, many or most of those on the sinking Erik have been on it before... so it must have been acceptable enough to go again... too bad!
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Marc
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2802
Registered: 5-15-2010
Location: San Francisco & Palm Springs
Member Is Offline
Mood: Waiting
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I wonder if the captain in your story was the same incompetent cowardly fool who was at the helm July 3?
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Lobsterman
Super Nomad
Posts: 1696
Registered: 10-7-2008
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I do miss my old experiences in Mexico. Times were very different back in the day and have changed progressively for the worst since. I was planning
on fishing Mag Bay this October. Fishing those mangroves for snook has been on my life's "Bucket List". But I have since cancelled out due to the many
reasons I've talked about in the past, mainly lack of security. When I was young and poor I was fearless in Mexico. Now as a grey hair I'm a target in
a much more non-secure environment. I want to enjoy my retirement and not want to constantly be aware of who is the good guy or the bad guy. I can no
longer tell them apart in Mexico.
I mainly posted on BN my past Erik experience for the families of those who lost love ones due to the sinking of the Erik. I felt the chances of them
reading it on BN is better than other websites. I wanted to tell the families the same event happened before. Plus others who read BN should be aware
of what you are getting into each time you rent a Mexican fishing vessel and take necessary precautions. I do not give two chits what anyone has to
say about me on BN. These type of websites are for unaltered facts about Mexico so the reader can be aware, make his own decisions and not enter
Mexico clueless.
I remember one time back in 1984 I went deep sea fishing out of the Old Mill in San Quentin. I was with my brother and 60 year old mother at the time.
We went out towards San Martin Island with Jose Flores in his 22' commercial panga. He had no radio, fishfinder, just a compass he would float in a
bowl of water and his watch (no gps in those days). The seas were smooth 10' swells at 20 second intervals and no wind to speak of. So we would ride
up this hill, the bow would come out of the water at the peak and surf down the backside of the swell. After an hour and a half in a dense fog he said
drop you rockcod lines. It was about 400 ft down there and we caught 3 ft lizzardfish. Biggest I've ever seen since by a lot. Jose said wind up and we
made a move of about 5 minutes. Next drop was on the reef and we had nonstop catching large rockcod, lingcod and black sea bass (all broke our 50lb
line). It was an amazing navigational feat. Jose did this for a living. I was not worried at the time about our safety. I did this many times in those
days of old while fishing in Mexico since 1965. That's their fishing culture and safety standards. The Erik was no different.
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Dave
Elite Nomad
Posts: 6005
Registered: 11-5-2002
Member Is Offline
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Lobsterman...
Did you pay in pesos or dollars? 
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J.P.
Super Nomad
Posts: 1673
Registered: 7-8-2010
Location: Punta Banda
Member Is Offline
Mood: Easy Does It
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Did you come to Baja because of the avalibility of good fishing or because it was cheappppppppp. you usually get what you pay for in this world.
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Skipjack Joe
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8084
Registered: 7-12-2004
Location: Bahia Asuncion
Member Is Offline
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Thanks for your posts, lobsterman. That recent boat tragedy will be a lesson for many of us who fish baja regularly. I don't think many will venture
out any longer without their own life vests.
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Lobsterman
Super Nomad
Posts: 1696
Registered: 10-7-2008
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I went to mexico for the fishing and the adventure. I never found mexico particularily cheappppppper than the USA. So I did not go down there to
save $ but to take advantage of their tremendous fisheries on both sides of the SOC. My last times down at Mulege & LA Bay, the fishing sizes,
types of fish and numbers had steadily declined from the 70s. After the Erik experience I always towed my boat down so I could have more control of
my environment. But due to the lack of fish and the cost of fuel, the cost of mexican insurance on boat, trailer and truck as well as the
on-the-water-mexican liability insurance on the boat cost over a $1000 for a 10 day trip where you might get on the water but three days was just not
worth it any more to me. Not to mention the E-Ticket ride down there towing an 8' wide boat.
The only extra I pay now to fish in San Diego since i own a boat and house is about $20 in gas and sometimes $30 for live bait. It's a cost vs
benefit thing.
But that's just me. Baja is fondly etched into my memory as having some of the best days of my life as I was growing up. You youngsters missed out
on quite an experience in simipler times. It's just not for me now. I follow this board daily and am continually looking for things to get better in
my mine's eye so I can experience a few more good fishing days there. I'm an old college buddy of John Ireland (he was at my 1978 wedding) and have
yet to take advantage of his Rancho Leanardo fishing resort. Another thing on my bucket list. In fact i remember when John started his place in the
middle of nowhere. We all thought he was in the sun too long down there. John did ok for himself.
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Pescador
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3587
Registered: 10-17-2002
Location: Baja California Sur
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It is terrible that the group on the Erik thought they were being well taken care of with proper amounts of lifejackets, professional crew, etc.,
etc., but the stark reality is that the boat was poorly run, did not have any kind of safety standards, and suffered from incompetence on part of the
owners and captain.
But there is another side to this story: I have retired and moved to Mexico full time because I could not wait to get out of the United States
where the government thinks that they have the right and duty to regulate every small piece of my life and especially my enjoyment. They want
approved life jackets, approved insurance, strict limits and non-fishing areas, increased taxes and costs that they pass everytime that I turn around,
and probably want me to share the catch with those that were too lazy to get off of their butts and go fishing.
I watch the local fisherman go out every day with no radios, no electrical equipment, no lifejackets, and usually no extra gas or paddles. They
ply the water every day in good water and bad and with all of the fishermen going out every night for squid and during the day for other fish, I only
know of one death that happened on the boat in the last 10 years or so. I find it amazing that fathers take out their sons at a very early age and no
thought of a life jacket or flotation devices.
In the US we would call that irresponsible and want to report the whole bunch to the government, but here it is a fact of life and plays out every day
on the water. They do watch out for each other and it is common to see a panga pull another panga in to harbor.
So, the system works for me as I understand that I have to take responsibility for my own actions, watch the weather and sea, look out for my peers,
and make my own decisions about whether to go or not. And yes, we still catch a whopping lot of fish.
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alofrisco
Banned
Posts: 14
Registered: 2-23-2003
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Pescador
I only know of one death that happened on the boat in the last 10 years or so. I find it amazing that fathers take out their sons at a very early
age and no thought of a life jacket or flotation devices.
In the US we would call that irresponsible and want to report the whole bunch to the government, but here it is a fact of life and plays out every day
on the water |
Would you get on a Mexican airliner if you knew the pilots had the same attitude?
Just because you know of only one dead fisherman in 10 years means little. Many die every year that you don't know about. It is one of the most
dangerous professions in Mexico. This is just an example of a naive person thinking his own limited personal knowledge is somehow representative of
the greater reality.
Link to news
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MMc
Super Nomad
Posts: 1679
Registered: 6-29-2011
Member Is Offline
Mood: Current
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| Quote: | | So, the system works for me as I understand that I have to take responsibility for my own actions, watch the weather and sea, look out for my peers,
and make my own decisions about whether to go or not. And yes, we still catch a whopping lot of fish. |
Pescador gets to the hart of the when he sums up. We all make our choices and live or die by them. Some people don't look around and ask the hard
questions.
Went on the Eric 1 time, swore we never would do it again. I slept on deck and always had a ditch bag and pfd near by. When we booked the trip we
knew it might not be the safest thing. The electrical fire on board just after we left port was just the beginning. That boat has been a POS for a
long time. The next time we booked a trip out of SF it was on a better boat, that we drove down to check out before hand.
Lobsterman not going south is his choice based on his observation and the risk as he understand it. Me choosing to go is based on the level of risk I
willing to take.
alofrisco, I would assume that the pilots want to get home alive. I would have no problem walking off if I didn't think it was safe.
MMc
"Never teach a pig to sing it frustrates you and annoys the pig" - W.C.Fields
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mcfez
Elite Nomad
Posts: 8678
Registered: 12-2-2009
Location: aka BN yankeeirishman
Member Is Offline
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| Quote: | Originally posted by Pescador
It is terrible that the group on the Erik thought they were being well taken care of with proper amounts of lifejackets, professional crew, etc.,
etc., but the stark reality is that the boat was poorly run, did not have any kind of safety standards, and suffered from incompetence on part of the
owners and captain.
But there is another side to this story: I have retired and moved to Mexico full time because I could not wait to get out of the United States
where the government thinks that they have the right and duty to regulate every small piece of my life and especially my enjoyment. They want
approved life jackets, approved insurance, strict limits and non-fishing areas, increased taxes and costs that they pass everytime that I turn around,
and probably want me to share the catch with those that were too lazy to get off of their butts and go fishing.
I watch the local fisherman go out every day with no radios, no electrical equipment, no lifejackets, and usually no extra gas or paddles. They
ply the water every day in good water and bad and with all of the fishermen going out every night for squid and during the day for other fish, I only
know of one death that happened on the boat in the last 10 years or so. I find it amazing that fathers take out their sons at a very early age and no
thought of a life jacket or flotation devices.
In the US we would call that irresponsible and want to report the whole bunch to the government, but here it is a fact of life and plays out every day
on the water. They do watch out for each other and it is common to see a panga pull another panga in to harbor.
So, the system works for me as I understand that I have to take responsibility for my own actions, watch the weather and sea, look out for my peers,
and make my own decisions about whether to go or not. And yes, we still catch a whopping lot of fish. |
Make room Pescador....I'm with you.
Old people are like the old cars, made of some tough stuff. May show a little rust, but good as gold on the inside.
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Bajahowodd
Elite Nomad
Posts: 9274
Registered: 12-15-2008
Location: Disneyland Adjacent and anywhere in Baja
Member Is Offline
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Maybe it's just me, but the initial post just reeked of eliteism. I won't call it racism per se, but.
Just seems to me that inasmuch as I've done the Mexican thing for over thirty years, part of the lure of Mexico was that it actually did have a sense
of danger.
Caveat Emptor. If you go to Mexico, you have to have your eyes open. Amybe even more in the past than today, you had to realize that the was a third
world country that had a great deal of poverty. Not quite so much today.
But nevertheless, it ain't the USA. No value judgement to follow. I have visited Mexico for over thirty years and continue to do so. I realize that it
is Mexico. It is not the United States. Again, no value judgement.
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El Comadante Loco
Nomad
Posts: 274
Registered: 6-12-2004
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DESTNY
Lobsterman, I take offense to your statement "During that hectic time I swore to myself if I get out of this predicament I will never, I repeat NEVER
let a Mexican control my destiny again." This type of statement is inflammatory, demeaning, and some what typical of the ugly American. ' What is your
need to highly emphasise " I repeat" and NEVER in CAPS....'
Are you implying that all of us MEXICANS are incompetent and should not be trusted in positions of a critical nature. What a negative stereotype you
have painted us with.. Shame on you>> I assure we have no interested in controlling your destiny.
I for one have placed my care in the hands of very competent individuals of different racial and ethnic background.
An Asian operated on my back, an African American took care of my skin infection, a white woman served as my cardiologist and I have been treated by
numerous MEXICAN doctors and dentist. Oh I even flew on an airplane piloted by a MEXICAN imagine letting a MEXICAN control my
DESTINLY.
I am truly sorry that the experience you had on the ERIK has thwarted you capacity to truly enjoy Baja and it's people.
Such is loss is regrettable. I am sure you a sensitive and understanding man but sometimes the words we choose are not the most appropriate,
welcoming and relationship building. Perhaps you were not even aware that your choice of words could be found to be offensive or perhaps you don't
give a damm.
Enjoy Amigo
ELC
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J.P.
Super Nomad
Posts: 1673
Registered: 7-8-2010
Location: Punta Banda
Member Is Offline
Mood: Easy Does It
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Personal safety.
Most people that come to baja come for the unique journey into the not too distant past knowing full well the dangers that lurke here , But with the
mentality that big brother is going to take care of them. It aint going to happen down here folks. several years ago headed north from Loretto we
stopped for the night in our rv at the abandoned Pemex at the Bay of La turn off . early the next morning we made coffee and headed north, about half
way between the place where we spent the night and Catavina we come upon a wreck. The driver apperantly went to sleep and missed a curve he was
ejected through the back window of the vehicle about half of his skull was ripped off. I assesed the location and the early hour I made the decision
to get a blanket from the rv. and covered the young mam up and sat and held his hand until he died . because ou the remotness of the location cell
phones were of no use and the distance to a phone he would have died before help could come. it may sound hard But too often thats the fact of life
down here.
I guess if there is a point to this it would be about taking the responsibility for ones safety because all too often thats all you have. whether you
be on land or water.
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vgabndo
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 3461
Registered: 12-8-2003
Location: Mt. Shasta, CA
Member Is Offline
Mood: Checking-off my bucket list.
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Lobsterman...Lobsterman...come in Lobsterman
I judge you have a little accountability to deal with there noobie.
The commander is spot on!
Undoubtedly, there are people who cannot afford to give the anchor of sanity even the slightest tug. Sam Harris
"The situation is far too dire for pessimism."
Bill Kauth
Carl Sagan said, "We are a way for the cosmos to know itself."
PEACE, LOVE AND FISH TACOS
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Marc
Ultra Nomad
Posts: 2802
Registered: 5-15-2010
Location: San Francisco & Palm Springs
Member Is Offline
Mood: Waiting
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| Quote: | Originally posted by El Comadante Loco
Lobsterman, I take offense to your statement "During that hectic time I swore to myself if I get out of this predicament I will never, I repeat NEVER
let a Mexican control my destiny again." This type of statement is inflammatory, demeaning, and some what typical of the ugly American. ' What is your
need to highly emphasise " I repeat" and NEVER in CAPS....'
Are you implying that all of us MEXICANS are incompetent and should not be trusted in positions of a critical nature. What a negative stereotype you
have painted us with.. Shame on you>> I assure we have no interested in controlling your destiny.
I for one have placed my care in the hands of very competent individuals of different racial and ethnic background.
An Asian operated on my back, an African American took care of my skin infection, a white woman served as my cardiologist and I have been treated by
numerous MEXICAN doctors and dentist. Oh I even flew on an airplane piloted by a MEXICAN imagine letting a MEXICAN control my
DESTINLY.
I am truly sorry that the experience you had on the ERIK has thwarted you capacity to truly enjoy Baja and it's people.
Such is loss is regrettable. I am sure you a sensitive and understanding man but sometimes the words we choose are not the most appropriate,
welcoming and relationship building. Perhaps you were not even aware that your choice of words could be found to be offensive or perhaps you don't
give a damm.
Enjoy Amigo
ELC |
Well I guess at least your heart is working OK
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