Saturday, Sept. 26 1998
Today we drove up to Tahoe Keys from Reno. We were fishing for Kokanee by
7:30 a.m. off Taylor Creek with 20 or so other boats. It was most cloudy,
there were occasional showers, wind about 5 mph with a few gusts to about
10. No bites, probably because we didn't have a depth sounder or any
accurate way to tell how deep we were fishing. At 11:30 we decided to go
over to Emerald Bay, about 1.5 or 2 miles north, to trap some minnows. We
put the minnow trap in the water and trolled along the shore while we
waited. The weather slowly worsened, winds shifted from the east to the
north and increased to about 10 mph. We picked up the trap, put a minnow
behind the flasher and started trolling in Emerald Bay about12:30. By 1:00
we started hearing thunder and it started to hail and the wind picked up.
At this point I decided to stop fishing and put up the main, then head back
to Tahoe Keys. Winds increased to 15 mph or so with gusts of 20. By the
time we got out into the lake again it was blowing a steady 20 out of the
north and on our stern and the waves were choppy 2 to 4 feet. I decided to
take the sail down and use the motor since riding the waves comfortably
caused the boat to want to gybe continually. It became difficult to keep
the boat from broaching. I found a good speed and course and headed
directly to the inlet. I didn't want to get too close to the beach because
the waves would be abeam then and we would go aground very quickly if the
motor quit. I noticed a large cabin cruiser off our starboard quarter
closer to the beach a mile or so off apparently heading the same direction.
The waves continued to build and their direction varied occasionally so it
was necessary to keep a constant watch astern so prevent surprises. It was
getting scary. The tiller - which I just rebuilt - was really under a
strain trying to keep from broaching. By this time we both had lifejackets
on. About a mile from Tahoe Keys entrance the boat astern was close enough
that we could see it was the Coast Guard Auxillary, escorting us back. That
gave us a sense of relief. We were the only ones out there. As the water
got shallower the waves became steeper and more confused so the Auxillary's
presence was even more appreciated. I could see how rough it was by how
they were riding. When they turned into the seas half their boat was out of
the water. We made it back to the inlet safely at 1:45. To our surprise
as we were coming in two ski type boats
were coming out. One operator had a look which was a mix of determination
and terror, and so did his passengers. You could see their knuckles glowing
white in the rain... I assume they got back safely as we didn't hear any
emergency vehicles as we tied up in the Keys. Lesson learned: Weather
changes real quick at Tahoe, and with 26 miles of fetch the waves can get
BIG quick. NOT FUN. On a scale of 1 to 5, I'll give this one a pucker
factor of 4.5.
Jeff Hyett
P15 Moi Moi
#633