# VERY disappointed in IDIOTS in Conneaut



## walleyeQueen (Aug 25, 2010)

heard on radio today while perch fishing of a vessel being towed by the coast guard. then saw the coast guard towing the vessel sometime late morning. the coast guard got called away on other business and left them about 5 miles from shore. after finishing fishing, my husband and I headed back to the marina at conny. on our way in we see a boat that's anchored and 3 guys waving frantically for help. mind you 3 or 4 boats ahead of us blew right past these poor guys ahead of us. we obviously stopped and asked if they were ok and if they needed help. turns out these guys have been stranded and broke down for over 24 hours!! they looked HORRIBLE! since none of our fine Ohio boaters stopped to help them they had to spend the night on Erie about 6 or so miles out with NO power! one guy was REALLY sick and they all were pretty sun burnt. i find it EXTREMELY hard to believe that out of the 500-600 or so boats we seen out there between Saturday and Sunday that NO ONE stopped to help these guys. I also find it completely pathetic that all the guys that blew past these guys clearly seeing they were in distress. it's so disheartening to think that Ohio posses some real quality with no regard for anyone else other than themselves!! the only thing that makes me happy is the fact that karma exists and for all of you who passed by these guys either laughing and/or waving i can only hope you truly need a strangers help someday. i'm not going to say i'm sorry for the vent here because i'm furious. I lost a lot of respect for boaters or should i say so called boaters today. I'm sure it won't be the last time either. Just pathetic


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## bigal (Jul 12, 2012)

Unbelieveable but way to go walleye queen!! Makes me sick to my stomach hearing this stuff. 


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## slimdaddy45 (Aug 27, 2007)

I dont fish Erie but I see it the same as you thats just bull to leave somebody stranded like that I know I would never do it .If I seen somebody needing help I wouldnt hesitate to help them


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## Snakecharmer (Apr 9, 2008)

Hard to believe no one saw them firing their flares or waving their distress flag. Or didn't they have any? It is sad that if someone saw them in distress they wouldn't stop.

Thanks for stopping and helping them out. I'm sure they will never forget your kindness..


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## KaGee (Sep 8, 2006)

I'm shocked that nobody reported them missing when they failed to return Saturday.


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## walleyeQueen (Aug 25, 2010)

yes their whole family was on shore all night desperately trying to get coast guard out there to help them. and yes they had distress orange jacked at the top of their boat. not to mention the 3 guys screaming and waving their arms for help.


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## walleyeQueen (Aug 25, 2010)

i can assure you they've learned their lessons from this trip! it's not the point of my story though! if someone needs help stop to see if you can help! period end of story


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## B Thomas (Jan 21, 2005)

You would also think of the 3, someone would have had a cell phone and being that close to shore they would be well in cellular range of calling for help. 

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## walleyeQueen (Aug 25, 2010)

they did call for help and on one came!


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## coman61 (Jul 6, 2006)

aren't there any tow boats out that way? Seems to me someone could stop and give GPS numbers if they were unable tow tow them in. I would have at least offered to do that or offer to bring them in If I was unable to tow them in sheesh.


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## Steelheadphycho (Mar 12, 2012)

My God! 
First and foremost I commend you and your crew walleyeQueen. Obviously, If it wasn't for you, who knows how much longer those poor souls would have waited. 

So what in the Sam hell is wrong with "fellow" boaters that they can't even stop to see if they can even call for help?!?! 30 years ago when my dad would take my mom and me and my 3 siblings out in the western basin near the islands, we would "break down" a little more often than "average". But NO ONE would pass us without making sure we were ok or help was on the way. I just can't imagine that a boat would be stranded just 6 miles from shore for 24 HOURS!! And no one would help!
Hell, I'd at least try to tow them back if I was in my 90hp jet ski!

S A D !

I want to go back 30 years.........


Steelhead PSYCHO!


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## Steelheadphycho (Mar 12, 2012)

WHAT?!?!!
Even the COAST GUARD WAS A BIG FAILURE!?

Speechless .........

Thanks again queen


Steelhead PSYCHO!


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## CarpetBagger (Sep 21, 2009)

My thoughts exactly....

I was at my boat and around the docks pretty much till around 7pm Friday evening...There was no1 frantically onshore looking for a way to get help...Had someone come around the docks looking for a boat to go tow someone in I certainly would have obliged...There were probably only 20 other people at their boats as well...

This is not a smart remark, and please dont take this the wrong way, but the United States Coast Gaurd is not a towing service...and generally is not used unless a vessel is sinking or lives are at risk...I imagine these boaters did not have a towing service and were probably unwilling to pay a towing service for tow back to shore (just a guess), Its quite a shame that they had to spend an evening on the lake waiting on help though...

You'd think with all the boats that navigate the perch pack off Conneaut that someone would have been able to almost to yell to someone boat to boat...

Good job on the tow however......

PS: We're not all Idiots...





B Thomas said:


> You would also think of the 3, someone would have had a cell phone and being that close to shore they would be well in cellular range of calling for help.
> 
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## eriewalleye (Feb 22, 2008)

Kudos to you and your crew of the Walleye Queen.  I have always believed that if you see or hear of a boat in distress, that you are required legally and morally to render assistance. I have, several times in the past, and will continue to do so. I understand your disgust with some people, but you have that everywhere. Roughly 3 weeks ago, we were just entering the perch pack and we heard another boater on the radio, requesting help for a man in the water. We asked for his location and he was approximately 1/2 mile north of us, so we responded to assist him. And we were the only boat that offered any help to this call. While we were on our way to the location, some guy starts yelling on the radio that we were going too fast through the perch pack. Ignorance is Bliss !!!


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## penalty box (Nov 2, 2011)

Correct me if i'm wrong but I think its the law that if you see a boat in distress you have to stop. Just remember that good deeds come back ten fold.


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## dwmikemx (Mar 22, 2008)

Somethin' here sounds fishy to me? Not that I doubt it but there has got to be more to this story.


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## KaGee (Sep 8, 2006)

penalty box said:


> Correct me if i'm wrong but I think its the law that if you see a boat in distress you have to stop. Just remember that good deeds come back ten fold.


There are maritime laws covering commercial vessels. I have called the local CG station earlier in the year and asked and they said there is nothing that they enforce on pleasure boaters. 

It's the right thing to do, but as we see written in these forums, even if an action is unlawful there are still those who will ignore the law if it does not suit them.

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## CatmanOne (May 16, 2007)

Confused about this post? Couldn't coast guard bring passengers to shore and leave boat? Or at least the sick person? Or after they were done with their other job come back for them? I would not want to be stuck on that lake with no way off. Get tow insurance and a kicker engine or dont go on erie. Obviously you have to go through alot of people before someone helps for free. Good for you walleyeQueen.


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## Doboy (Oct 13, 2008)

WOW! I'm still shaking my head in disbelieve,,,
Their FLAG was flying, AND NOT ONE BOAT STOPPED?

SAD
I carry a whistle, A cow bell, RailRoad Flairs AND a hand held air horn,,, 
Does everybody know S.O.S.?


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## mkormos23 (Nov 29, 2007)

Something doent make sense here, the coast gaurd would have called them a tow when they got called away on other business. the boat must have refused a privite tow company.
The coast guard would just not leave them out there with offering some type of help.

Sounds to me like there cheap and didnt want to pay.


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## Toxic (May 13, 2006)

I was at Conny yesterday and I never seen them or heard them calling for help. I did hear on the radio that the USCG was towing a boat in and they had to leave. But other than that nothing. I would of definitely have towed them in. They wouldn't have been my first boat, and not my last boat to tow in.


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## Bassbme (Mar 11, 2012)

There is no way that there isn't more to this story than meets the eye.


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## lil goose (Oct 16, 2009)

I was out of conny all day saturday and fished out to the 14 line then came back in to the 05 then finished up perch jerking til dark at the 03 and never saw anyone in distress or heard anything on the radio about someone needing a tow! I am not sure what to think earlier this year there was some guys on the radio looking for a tow right outside the breaker wall and someone from the bait shop was on their way to get them. I have strong suspision that either these fellows waited until it was dark and realized they were broke down or something fishy! Hell some of the guys out of conny will tell you where the fish and how to catch them i am sure most people on this site and there were quite a few out there saturday would have helped them including myself!! Goose


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## CarpetBagger (Sep 21, 2009)

There was also a call yesterday around 7am from a guy needing a tow back to the dock because he ran out of gas on his way out to the perch pack...The response was quite positive considering the circumstances of his distress...

I suppose i need to reiterate that this lake loves stupid people...

There is towing service and towing insurance for a reason...Maybe its me, but it seems awful selfish to assume that if I break down that someone else will bring me in for free...Seems awful selfish to run out of gas, or have a mechanical failure and assume someone with a full tank and a good running boat is gonna tow me in...If you dont have the $80 a year to spend on the towing, you shouldnt be on Lake Erie to begin with...


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## AEFISHING (Apr 25, 2004)

Very true!!

I still think there is more to this story then we know.


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## walleyeQueen (Aug 25, 2010)

i won't sit here and argue with those who don't agree with what i have to say. the moral of the story is no one stopped to help these people who really needed help. we can sit here and type what if's all day. i'm sticking to what i said. if you drove past these people and clearly saw they needed help and didn't stop your a jerk and don't deserve to own a boat.


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## crestliner TS (Jun 8, 2012)

The coast guard does NOT tow boats unless someone is sick and they are broke down or they are taking on water. I know this for a FACT!! Also, the whole family waving all night on shore? They dont anyone with a boat? They did not talk to anyone at the ramp? Sounds extremely fishy to me and I donyt believe the USCG would do such a thing. Sorry, but I call BS!


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## creekcrawler (Oct 5, 2004)

We've always stopped for people *and* towed them in.
Always hoped someone would do the same for us.

If there were that many people out, a lot of them may have figured "the next guy will stop and help".....

Sad, very sad.


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

dwmikemx said:


> Somethin' here sounds fishy to me? Not that I doubt it but there has got to be more to this story.


yea...it does sound like their is another side to this, kudos to the boat that helped, it was the right thing to do, but cmon...3 guys...a few miles from shore...cell phones working...distress flags up???? NO help at ALL for an entire DAY? either every boat out there (except the OP) are ignorant jerks, or these guys REALLY werent prepared for erie!!


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## KaGee (Sep 8, 2006)

Since some here are in a state of speculation, let me speculate too... what if they blew the main fuse and due to inexperience, lack of technical knowledge or whatever found themselves without power on the boat? No radio. No way to charge their phones. Their phones flipped over to "roam" and sucked up the juice twice as fast and went dead within a few hours. No radio, no phone, no way or knowledge how to fix their situation. 
Certainly wouldn't be the first group of boaters on Lake Erie without a clue. Maybe it was just "a perfect storm" of events that overwhelmed them. 

But, we don't know. So there isn't any reason to berate these guys without all of the facts being known. And honestly, we don't need to know. It's not really our concern. WalleyQueen made her views known. Abiding by The Golden Rule never hurt anyone.


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## 9Left (Jun 23, 2012)

KaGee said:


> Since some here are in a state of speculation, let me speculate too... what if they blew the main fuse and due to inexperience, lack of technical knowledge or whatever found themselves without power on the boat? No radio. No way to charge their phones. Their phones flipped over to "roam" and sucked up the juice twice as fast and went dead within a few hours. No radio, no phone, no way or knowledge how to fix their situation.
> Certainly wouldn't be the first group of boaters on Lake Erie without a clue. Maybe it was just "a perfect storm" of events that overwhelmed them.
> 
> But, we don't know. So there isn't any reason to berate these guys without all of the facts being known. And honestly, we don't need to know. It's not really our concern. WalleyQueen made her views known. Abiding by The Golden Rule never hurt anyone.


Well said, it is the golden rule, but if all that you said here might be true, than like i said.. they REALLLY werent prepared for erie. i guess the bottom line here is that they got off the lake safely and back to their families in one piece!


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## PARK92 (Apr 21, 2012)

i dont think its a money issue here as much as a morals issue. if someone is in distress it should be common lake courtesy to help them or at least stop and ask if theyre ok


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## suzy-j (Jul 3, 2008)

Way to go walleyeQueen. You get $225/hr that's the going rate for a tow. Just kidding, that was very nice of you and your crew!!


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## walleyeQueen (Aug 25, 2010)

i appreciate all the comments good and i guess i'll use the word bad. i assure you when we got back to the marina i berated them with how important it is to have all the safety equipment on your vessel at all times!! as i mentioned i was just really disappointed and no matter what their "real" story was in the end they needed help and after watching several boats blow past them we stopped and helped them. end of story. everyone's safe and maybe a few guys learned a very hard lesson.


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## highstickn (Dec 25, 2009)

WalleyeQueen you deserve a huge thanks for your help. It is good to know there are still good people out there.
I read through the posts and I didn't get the impression that anyone was accusing you of anything. There may have been a post or two that were questionable but they could have been understood in different ways. It sounded like everyone was wondering what the heck was going on in the 24 hours before you got there.


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## CarpetBagger (Sep 21, 2009)

100% right they probably learned a very good lesson...no1 was hurt and that's most important...they screwed up and still made it back in one piece...


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## hang_loose (Apr 2, 2008)

Great job walleyeQueen, There may have been other circumstances but that doesn't matter when you need help... Hopefully they will pay the favor forward.

Again, thanks for helping a fellow fisherman and being a great asset to OGF.


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## Sent Adrift (Jun 8, 2012)

Kudos Walleye Queen. I am a firm believer of paying it forward. You never know when you will be the one in need of assistance. When the day comes that I ever need assistance I hope I have enough karma in the bank that a stranger will come to my aid. A prime example of karma was last year my brother and I were on our way out to perch fish and seen a boat getting push against the break wall and we gave them a tow back to launch went perch fishing and when we pulled up anchor found one someone lost. Karma you always want the good kind. Again great job paying it forward.


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