hull vents?

[Fr. Frank]

Its the worst feeling in the world to be on a boat thats taking water.

No, the worst feeling is when your 17' center console is sinking because you spun a hub on the prop, and the prop spun forward and wedged in the gear housing, then you dropped the non-floating prop wrench, your anchor is not holding the bottom and you've already dragged the anchor through the outer of three breaks off Delray Beach, there's over 50 King mackerel on the deck, it's two a.m., the USCG won't come rescue you because they think the call is a prank/hoax, you've got a cast from foot to above the knee, every incoming wave deposit water in the boat faster than the little 360 gph bilge pump can keep up with, your fishing buddy has decided to swim for shore to call for help since the USCG won't come, and you're alone on the sinking boat in breaking waves.

THAT"S the worst feeling in the world on a small boat. And yes, with a few details omitted, that DID happen to me.

And yes, I did get rescued. I was the guy with the cast on my leg from near the hip down. I had resigned myself to riding the hull all the way to the beach, but a USCG 41' arrived after I had dragged the anchor through the 2nd break. My buddy got a hold of a policeman, who came, looked out and saw the boat 300 yards off the beach, and called the Coasties himself.

The final irony is that the OOD that night at CG Station Lake Worth who didn't believe my initial radio report was the Exec off the Cape Shoalwater, and my 1st cousin. He didn't know it was me, and they had been averaging more than 4 prank calls a week for some time.