[attachment 53963 coalboat.jpg]
About ten years ago I was diving and detecting the Depot Beach on Lake
Charlevoix, in northern Michigan. Lake Charlevoix is a large lake and
has a power plant on its shore, about half way up the lake.
Lake Charlevoix is connected to Lake Michigan by a small lake and a
couple short waterways, as can be seen in the picture. Round Lake is
in the middle of town and there is a draw bridge to allow the big boats
passage.
The Yellow line is the Coal boat's route and the Red one is mine.
This power plant is coal powered and occasionally you see a big boat
powering up the lake with a load of coal to replenish the diminishing
piles. I never paid much attention to them as they were usually quite a
ways off and it was a rare event when we even saw them.
One day I was diving at the Depot Beach, shown as "1" I have written
other story's about diving and detecting there and it has always been
fruitful.
This was a nice bright sunny day and I had been doing rather well at
the beach but knew that there was another beach at point "2". I had
never hunted it as it is all private estates along there. At one time
there was a hotel located there. I had always been interested in trying
it but there was no access. I did not have my boat with me.
I was using my hookah and had worked my way down the Depot Beach to
another little private beach. I hunted there for a while. In fact I
found a mans gold nugget ring with four,1/4 karat diamonds on it. Nice
find!
I kept looking across the bay at that lone beach. I saw nobody on it
and it was only a half mile swim to it. What the heck, it was a nice
day for a swim.
I could have gone to the bottom and swam across but it is hard to keep
your bearings when on bottom and I did not have my compass with me. I
decided to go for it.
I was using my Hookah but still had a tank on my back for safety. I
stood about waste deep and pulled the hookah to me and shut off the
motor. I secured my Fisher 1280X to the hookah so I would not have to
deal with it on the way across and shoved the Hookah away from me.
I was attached to the hookah by a sixty foot air hose. It is hooked to
my weigh belt and my regulator is on the end. I just unzipped my
wetsuit top a bit and stuffed the regulator in and I was ready. I
filled my BC with air and after lining myself up with the far shore and
a tree on my side, set off for the unhunted beach, at Point "2"
What you do is just lay on your back and start a kicking. and kicking.
and kicking! I occasionally stop and look over my shoulder and make
adjustments as there is a current there. What a beautiful calm day it
was.
I would just lay there and kick, watch the clouds and gulls and
daydream. I always get a bit excited when thinking of a new site.
After a bit I was mid channel and for some reason, I have no idea what
it was, I opened my eyes and rolled my head to my left.
There was a huge bow of the dang Coal Boat coming right at me. That bad
boy looked Huge from my angle and I liked to have had, like the
southern belles call it, "The Vapors" Vapors my butt. I liked to have
messed my dang wetsuit but I did not have the time.
I have no idea how fast it was a going or how far away it was from me
but from my angle, it was close and moving fast! In reality it was not
moving fast as it was in the channel and they do not want a wake there
but I just didn't figure in those factors at the time. That thing
looked like a steel wall coming at me and I started a kicking. I
thought I was kicking before but now I found out I really wasn't. Now I
was a kicking.
I not only had to clear my fast kicking butt but also had to clear my
Hookah trailing 60 ft behind me! I kept looking at that dang huge,
from my angle, boat and kept lunging to get out of its way.
There were some guys on the rail laughing and pointing at me but soon I
was clear. I kept kicking though until I felt my tank drag the bottom.
I finally got my Hookah to me and stood there breathing deeply, trying
to catch my breath. I finally cranked up my Hookah and watching the ship
sail down lake to the power plant, dropped to bottom and started
hunting.
I didn't do all that well on that beach as I recall. I did find a 4
gauge shotgun shell on that dive. I still have that big sucker
somewhere. It was probably used in a Punt Gun by market hunters in a
bygone time. This shell the only sign that it ever happened.
I had gone to the local Historical Society to get information on the
local history and that is where I found out about the hotel that once
stood at the spot. There were pictures of its constructing ans such.
It seems the local builders back there were not the smartest of men.
There was a picture of it all framed in. It was about three or four
stories as I remember. The next picture was of it all laying on the
ground, heaps of 2x4's and such. I asked what had happened and the lady
there said that they had roughed it in and then set about with the next
step. forget what they call it but it was the drywall part. Back then I
don't think they had drywall but plaster but you get the idea.
The dang fools started doing it at the top floor. Well that stuff is
heavy and the whole dang building fell down. I can not imagine anyone
being that stupid.
Thanks for going swimming with me
About ten years ago I was diving and detecting the Depot Beach on Lake
Charlevoix, in northern Michigan. Lake Charlevoix is a large lake and
has a power plant on its shore, about half way up the lake.
Lake Charlevoix is connected to Lake Michigan by a small lake and a
couple short waterways, as can be seen in the picture. Round Lake is
in the middle of town and there is a draw bridge to allow the big boats
passage.
The Yellow line is the Coal boat's route and the Red one is mine.
This power plant is coal powered and occasionally you see a big boat
powering up the lake with a load of coal to replenish the diminishing
piles. I never paid much attention to them as they were usually quite a
ways off and it was a rare event when we even saw them.
One day I was diving at the Depot Beach, shown as "1" I have written
other story's about diving and detecting there and it has always been
fruitful.
This was a nice bright sunny day and I had been doing rather well at
the beach but knew that there was another beach at point "2". I had
never hunted it as it is all private estates along there. At one time
there was a hotel located there. I had always been interested in trying
it but there was no access. I did not have my boat with me.
I was using my hookah and had worked my way down the Depot Beach to
another little private beach. I hunted there for a while. In fact I
found a mans gold nugget ring with four,1/4 karat diamonds on it. Nice
find!
I kept looking across the bay at that lone beach. I saw nobody on it
and it was only a half mile swim to it. What the heck, it was a nice
day for a swim.
I could have gone to the bottom and swam across but it is hard to keep
your bearings when on bottom and I did not have my compass with me. I
decided to go for it.
I was using my Hookah but still had a tank on my back for safety. I
stood about waste deep and pulled the hookah to me and shut off the
motor. I secured my Fisher 1280X to the hookah so I would not have to
deal with it on the way across and shoved the Hookah away from me.
I was attached to the hookah by a sixty foot air hose. It is hooked to
my weigh belt and my regulator is on the end. I just unzipped my
wetsuit top a bit and stuffed the regulator in and I was ready. I
filled my BC with air and after lining myself up with the far shore and
a tree on my side, set off for the unhunted beach, at Point "2"
What you do is just lay on your back and start a kicking. and kicking.
and kicking! I occasionally stop and look over my shoulder and make
adjustments as there is a current there. What a beautiful calm day it
was.
I would just lay there and kick, watch the clouds and gulls and
daydream. I always get a bit excited when thinking of a new site.
After a bit I was mid channel and for some reason, I have no idea what
it was, I opened my eyes and rolled my head to my left.
There was a huge bow of the dang Coal Boat coming right at me. That bad
boy looked Huge from my angle and I liked to have had, like the
southern belles call it, "The Vapors" Vapors my butt. I liked to have
messed my dang wetsuit but I did not have the time.
I have no idea how fast it was a going or how far away it was from me
but from my angle, it was close and moving fast! In reality it was not
moving fast as it was in the channel and they do not want a wake there
but I just didn't figure in those factors at the time. That thing
looked like a steel wall coming at me and I started a kicking. I
thought I was kicking before but now I found out I really wasn't. Now I
was a kicking.
I not only had to clear my fast kicking butt but also had to clear my
Hookah trailing 60 ft behind me! I kept looking at that dang huge,
from my angle, boat and kept lunging to get out of its way.
There were some guys on the rail laughing and pointing at me but soon I
was clear. I kept kicking though until I felt my tank drag the bottom.
I finally got my Hookah to me and stood there breathing deeply, trying
to catch my breath. I finally cranked up my Hookah and watching the ship
sail down lake to the power plant, dropped to bottom and started
hunting.
I didn't do all that well on that beach as I recall. I did find a 4
gauge shotgun shell on that dive. I still have that big sucker
somewhere. It was probably used in a Punt Gun by market hunters in a
bygone time. This shell the only sign that it ever happened.
I had gone to the local Historical Society to get information on the
local history and that is where I found out about the hotel that once
stood at the spot. There were pictures of its constructing ans such.
It seems the local builders back there were not the smartest of men.
There was a picture of it all framed in. It was about three or four
stories as I remember. The next picture was of it all laying on the
ground, heaps of 2x4's and such. I asked what had happened and the lady
there said that they had roughed it in and then set about with the next
step. forget what they call it but it was the drywall part. Back then I
don't think they had drywall but plaster but you get the idea.
The dang fools started doing it at the top floor. Well that stuff is
heavy and the whole dang building fell down. I can not imagine anyone
being that stupid.
Thanks for going swimming with me
Bet you never forgot that feeling of fear ? Great post Flipper !!