I saw this picture somewhere and it brought back a memory… or two.
First this reminded me of something that actually happened to me. I don’t know how tall the wave actually was but I know it was a pretty dang big rogue wave that crashed on top of some friends, my mom and sister and me while were chatting on the beach at night in New Port Beach, Ca. We were actually standing far from the water line so we weren’t worried about having our backs to the water. Then suddenly it crashed on us and we were soaking wet from head to toe. It was like natures idea of a practical joke. We thought it was hilarious. Thankfully there wasn’t a rip tide and it didn’t pull us back out.
Talking about rogue waves, the first one I ever experienced was while my family and I were on a trip from Santa Barbara to Dana Point on the boat we lived on called the Moon Shadow. It was a 41′ Garden ketch. (In other words, a sail boat.) We were still new to the Moon Shadow and my mom, sister and I were still new to sailing and the ocean in general. My dad had been doing Ensenada races with some friends from work for a while and learned a thing or two. His buddies hadn’t actually been very good teachers. He learned mostly by being the only sober one left to sail the boat home.
It had gotten late and my sister and I were in bed in our parents bed. Their bed was a tad bigger then a single mattress bed. For some reason we were laying on top of a silky sleeping bag. My mom was passed out in my sisters bed. My sister and I had the two bench/beds in the main room. They were a tad more then half the size of a single mattress and were actually quite cozy. My dad had made himself comfortable on a folding beach chair with his legs propped up on the helm so he could steer with his feet. It was a lovely night out in the ocean under the stars.
Since it was night my dad couldn’t see the rogue wave coming right at us. It hit us full on and tipped the boat sideways. My sister and I slid right off the bed and toppled onto the floor. We thought it was funny and started laughing as we untangled ourselves from the blankets that fell on top of us and tried to get up. My dad said he was really worried about us till he heard us laughing.
When the wave hit he was thrown across the boat and got caught in the safety lines. Although it wasn’t a pleasant experience for him he was very grateful he didn’t get tossed overboard which could have easily happened. When we pulled into port he bought some safety harnesses and implemented rules about when and how to wear them from then on.
My mom, by the way, slept through the whole thing.
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