[kraigwy]

Never been lost in the woods. Been at the point I didn't know where I was but I knew how to get to where I was suppose to be.

Only time I've really been lost was went I went goat hunting out of Valdez AK. Older but pretty nice 30 foot cabin cruiser.

Found some goats but couldn't get to they in a reasonable length of time. Straight up through alder bushes.

We were suppose to head back that night. Problem is the boat owner and my hunting partner were drunk on their butts. They told me to take us back to Valdez. Problem is I didn't know anything about boats, It was pitch black so there was no stars.

I knew I was suppose to head north but that bay had some switches and turns that I didn't know and neither did my compass.

After about three or four hours going where I didn't know I started to see lights.

Screw it, I opened up both engines and headed for the lights.

Only it wasn't a town (not many there anyway). It was a friggin oil tanker.

I figured he was heading north, therefore to the oil tanks in Valdez.

I don't know if you ever seen the wake of an oil tanker but they are huge. Even when empty. ...........but you can't see them in the dark.

If you hit one of those wakes with a little 30 ft boat, its like hitting a brick wall. But at least I knocked my two would be hunting partners on their drunken butts, (only thing I accomplished that whole trip).

Got to town and swore never again, I'm not a sailer, I don't want to be a sailer, I'll do my hunting on land thank you.

But, I was talked into another trip on this boat. (Weak Monet). But I was saved that winter. The snow gets deep in Valdez, like over 20 feet. You're suppose to shovel the snow off your boat. My dear boat owner was on a drunken stupor and forgot. His boat sunk and he was hit with a pretty heavy find for polluting the harbor, causing him to loose his boat.

I made a lot of other hunting trips via boat, but that was inland water and in a lot smaller boat.

I certainly found out why people started using GPSs in boats. Maps suck when you can't see anything but black water and black sky's.