One day a friend and I went to the Bahamas in my boat. We’d heard reports that yellowfin tuna were located around the uppermost part and we wanted in on the action. The weather was predicted to be fairly good with 3–4-foot seas and 10-15 knot winds.
The weatherman was drastically wrong. About midway on the trip the wind started picking up as did the waves. We forged on and finally got to a place about 20 miles to the north of the last Bahama Island in the north Atlantic Ocean. The wind was so fierce we couldn’t even drop a line in the water; so we just turned around and headed home. By now the seas were raging with 25-30 knot winds pushing sets of giant waves that were 15-20 feet high. We decided to try to get back home pronto but to do so we had to navigate nearly head-on into the giant waves.
I had a large boat, but it was being tossed around like a little cork. One giant wave crashed into the bow with water rushing over it and it violently turned the boat to the left leaving a broadside target for the next huge wave that was right behind it. The wave had hit so hard it nearly broke my wrist as I tried to hang on to the steering wheel but the force of the wave hitting the boat ripped it out of my hands. Fortunately, I was able to turn the bow into the next wave before it hit and then power through it. We could not build any speed, and it was all I could do to go 7 mph instead of the 40 mph we were going heading over there (when we were going with the wind). It was 11:00 a.m. when we left the Bahamas and I looked at the instrument showing the amount of time it would take to get to Jupiter inlet where I kept my boat, and it showed 9 hours. At that rate it would be dark, and I was very concerned with the idea of navigating those angry seas in the pitch-black darkness.
There was a time when I was seriously wondering if we were going to get out of this situation alive. I thought about what would happen if the boat filled with water and sank. We would either drown, get eaten by sharks or die from the cold. We had not seen another boat all day and even if our EPIRB device emitted a signal that the boat had sunk, I figured it would be all but impossible for the coast guard to get to where we were and to find us in those wild seas.
So, I thought about dying. I asked God to spare us if He willed it and then I thought if it turned out we would go down at sea what a way to go! At least I would go down doing what I loved, being on the sea. About that time another huge wave crashed into the bow, and I quit daydreaming and focused on trying to navigate through it.
As it turned out we finally made it to the half-way point which was about 50 miles out and well into the gulf stream and the wind diminished a little and the waves were reduced in size to 5-8 feet, and we could go a little faster. The more the waves diminished the faster we could go and finally I was able to quarter into them and reach 20 mph. Unfortunately, that pushed me north by about 30 miles and I had to fight my way head-on through 4-foot waves the final 30 miles.
To make a long story short we finally made it home. I looked like a drowned rat and so did my buddy. Our faces were raw from the biting wind blowing saltwater in our faces and every stitch I had on was soaked with saltwater. He had stowed his cell phone on the dash which was “protected” but it got wet somehow and was ruined, my wallet was soaked and every piece of equipment was drenched in saltwater. We made it home around 6:30 p.m.
The next day I was so sore that I felt like I had been in a car wreck or a tough football game. I was sore all over, but alive and well. I sorted through all my equipment the next day and washed and oiled it..
Well, I suppose life goes on. In fact I felt like it was a relaxing day at the beach compared to the adventure I had just endured.
During this ordeal I spent some time thinking about heaven and meeting Jesus face to face. It really comforted me to know that He had me in His hand and was protecting me. I also thought about how weary the guardian angel He has assigned to help me must be. Unlike most people my ministering angel has had to work overtime for decades getting me out of one mess after another. I hope the Lord gives him a medal of commendation for his efforts on my behalf. I know I want to give that angel a big hug when I finally get there. Until then the adventure continues!
Hebrews 1:14
Are not all angels ministering spirits sent to serve those who will inherit salvation?