A small craft advisory is not a rare occurrence at Haulover Inlet. Recently an advisory was issued with winds exceeding 30 miles per hour with seas as high as 6 feet. The inlet, as usual, was still busy considering the conditions. YouTube channel Wavy Boats was out there to catch the action!
There was a unique variety of boats in the Inlet, the video starts with a SeaVee 390Z sporting quad outboards. This boat belongs to the Blue Tales Fishing Team, based out of Miami they fish tournaments from West Palm Beach to the Keys and even in The Bahamas. They primarily fish offshore and with 1600hp this boat can get them on the fish quickly and in style.
The next boat we see is the Jolly Roger, another big center console, the storm is really picking up and even this big boat is being knocked around quite a bit!
See it to believe it
What comes next you have to see to believe, amidst the strong wind, driving rain, and huge waves is a Highfield RIB with a 90hp Honda. Remember, we just saw a 35+ foot center console with multiple outboards get pushed around. The captain of this RIB must have asked for the day off to fish and he wasn’t letting the weather or small craft advisory get in the way. His bimini top looks like its seconds from tearing off and flying away and he is out there alone! He’s heading out of the inlet into the Atlantic!
We see lots of risk takers out here, pontoon boats, skiffs, even paddleboarders with dogs; but not on this day. Most heeded the small craft advisory. Even the big boys were getting knocked around on this day, but this guy didn’t seem to notice or care. Then the inevitable happens. As he exits the inlet and the seas pick up he takes a wave as high as his bimini top. As the bow is bounced high the RIB catches the wind and goes nearly straight up! Luck was on his side as he landed back on the hull, right side up. He comes very close to flipping.
Wake up call
This is the wake up call he needs, he turns back towards the inlet and safety. Watching the video it appears he knew what he was doing, but even the best captain can’t make up for conditions like this. Thankfully he’s safe and we can all have a laugh about it.
As we continue to watch the video there are some amazing boats to see. After the RIB is back to safety we see a Viaggio 74. This $1m plus (used price) yacht is all buttoned up for the conditions. Next we see a Viking 65 Sportfish, its amazing how small it looks in these conditions! It looks right at home in the big waves with its outriggers deployed.
Save the best for last
Stick around to near the end of the video (8:53) for a real treat. An Azimut 116, this 143 ton 35.46 meter yacht doesn’t look to be the worst place to ride out the storm. This yacht has a used value of 5 to 10 million! No doubt the owner took the private jet home and avoided this slop!
Check out the video to see the action for yourself:
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