We had a terrific day planned. It was a beautiful morning, not a cloud in the sky and not much traffic on the road. The forecast was sunny with a high of 90 degrees, only a slight chance of an afternoon thunderstorm. We packed the coolers with a variety of foods, from snacks to desserts.
The arrangements were scheduled for 8: 00 a. m. in a small city of Frenchtown, New Jersey. There were fifteen of us with six boats. We decided to travel south from Trenton and launch the boats at the public boat ramp, completely unaware of what was about to happen.
Once we successfully got to the water, we quietly drifted across the river without a ripple in sight. We swam for a while; a few others vigorously skied behind their boats. When noon came, everyone agreed to anchor the boats in a nearby cove as we had done numerous times before. While we ate lunch, we overheard the marine radio announce a severe storm warning heading directly our way. The cove was crammed with other boaters, and not a soul seemed overly concerned about the approaching storm. Several more boaters were just settling in to enjoy a peaceful afternoon as well.
As the day quickly passed by, we watched the sky gradually turn into a dark gray shade. The wind began to progressively increase and we decided to return to the boat launch where we had begun our journey earlier that day. As we hastily traveled north, strong violent winds rapidly approached us. Rain began stinging our faces, and visibility was nearly impossible. I grasped our terrified children and huddled with them in the cuddy cabin of our boat. With tears filling my eyes, I said in a suppressed voice, “everything will be fine.” The motion from inside the boat felt as though enormous waves were quickly rising and falling below us.
The Essay on History of German U-Boats
... submarine warfare. Within just a few days, on February 18, the U-boat blockade began. However, Germany felt that ... by hand.The Germans used this technique on some 50,000 boats including freighters, liners, tankers, trawlers, yachts, lightships, colliers, schooners, ... and tugboats. Most of them were British boats, Germany's biggest enemy. After a while, Britain devised a ...
To avoid the oncoming boats, we unintentionally changed direction, turning away from the manmade channel. Suddenly we came to an abrupt halt; the motor practically ceased. We were horrified to find ourselves trapped on top of an immense sand bar that was slightly submerged below the surface. It was evident help would be unsuccessful during this chaotic moment. We sighted a number of other boaters frantically trying to race the wind, scurrying to safety. The lightning flashed intensely as the rain poured down in vast sheets of water.
We tried every imaginable technique we had learned through years of training as well as experience to escape the storm. The wind eventually forced us back into the merciless channel of water. As we came within reach of a large oak tree, we quickly secured the anchor line. In an instant, we ran with fear to a small gazebo at a riverside park already occupied with numerous other frightened boaters.
Feeling equally discouraged, our group watched as our boats smashed against the rocky shore. Tree limbs and other debris surrounded us as we stared helplessly. We hung on to our children tightly until the sky began to clear, and the fierce wind slowly decreased. I thought for a moment how lucky we were to defy death. We made extremely slow progress back to the dock as we dodged the large branches and debris that were left from the powerful storm.
This horrific event taught our group a valuable lesson: never ignore weather warnings.
