Thanks for the insights. My budget is pretty much invest what I would get for the seafarer into the larger boat knowing that I will have to go back in the year of the boat. My fishing has been out of Delaware for the past 40 years. It used to be 95% Del bay but the fishing just don't seem to be very good anymore, so lately it's mostly out indian river inlet and ocean fishing. Maybe i'm just getting old but I was caught in a really bad storm in the bay many years ago on the 212 chesapeake that I don't ever want to experience again. Weather reports and communications are alot better now but as I find myself going farther out I want to put myself on the best boat my budget will allow.
Maybe they're not the best, maybe they are. but Gradys are the only option for me.
Here are some reports of that day from another site.
In the Memorial Weekend storm as it is now called lots of boats hid behind freightors that were anchored in the lower bay. All you could hear on VFH were May Day calls. We know one person that told us he was trying to beach his boat at Slaughter Beach, DE and swears he was picked up by a tornado or water spout and ended up on the beach with his family in the boat. For those that experienced it they will always remember that day. We used to call the Delaware Pilot Station and they would tell us where and what directions the storms were coming with their powerful radar. Even today boats without long range radar call us for advise on the track of storms when fishing over on the Delaware side for drum in the spring. There has been quite a few times we slowed down for boats to follow in our wake to break the waves around Brown Shoal when the waves kicked up to 6 feet or better with winds well over 30 knots. If you fish on the bay in the spring and early summer it is only a matter of time before you get caught in one of these nasty storms and it is even more risky if you are over on the dark side drumming. We scan every channel and have real time Doppler radar and we are more than glad to help share any weather information when drum or striper fishing on the Delaware Bay in spring.
I was out in that Memorial Day storm. I was probably about 16 yrs old. Thank God I was on a big party boat (I believe it was the Lazy Bones). Had a dead body float past us face down and a woman hanging on to a capsized boat screaming for her life. We tried to throw her a line, but she drifted by us too fast. Luckly for her, a smaller boat following us in was able to pick her up. That was one ugly day!
We were on my father's 28ft pacemaker..somewhere between the outer wall and the cape may rips. We were fishing and I mentioned to my father that there was some nasty clouds out towards brown shoal way. We waved it off as a passing storm. It eventually got close and the wind started to pick up. It was blowing a good 15-20 with 3-4 footers..this wouldnt be for long. The wind picked up fast to well over 30..waves I guesstimate to be 6-8. We then procedded to haul a$$ back to Lewes. We got in safely..but drenched. Once we got the boat tied up..the rain got horizontal and the wind was over 50 mph! When we got home we watched on the local philly station that 3 people were lost and something like 20 boats were capsized. I'm just glad my mother was with us to help 'coax' my dad to get in!
