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26 April 2014, 12:51 PM | #61 |
2024 Pledge Member
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Real Name: John Baker III
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Watch: 1971 Red Sub
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Jeff:
I go surfing every time it's good enough for the drive down to Surfside. I doubt I will ever see the same set of bad circumstances ever again. Surfing is great exercise and great fun. You can't go hide in the closet just because you had a bad day. Actually, if it was bad enough, you are allowed to be a little paranoid! PS This pic was taken by someone down on South Padre Island during Hurricane Ike.... |
26 April 2014, 12:54 PM | #62 |
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Amazing
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26 April 2014, 01:05 PM | #63 |
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Glad to hear that John.
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26 April 2014, 01:16 PM | #64 |
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What a story. Thanks for sharing.
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26 April 2014, 01:46 PM | #65 |
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Amazing story, thanks for sharing it with us! Glad you're safe
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26 April 2014, 02:47 PM | #66 |
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Thanks for sharing your story and enjoy your reward! You have certainly earned it.
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26 April 2014, 02:59 PM | #67 |
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Yes, you definitely did earn that John. Wear it with pride. Glad you made it back. Great story.
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26 April 2014, 03:27 PM | #68 |
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Legendary stuff John.
Geez....you old guys.
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26 April 2014, 03:37 PM | #69 |
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Truly encouraging story and what a great Saturday read!
You definite earned the GMT |
26 April 2014, 03:57 PM | #70 |
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Inspiring story, John! It's amazing what we can do when there are no alternatives.
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26 April 2014, 04:58 PM | #71 |
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Crazy and awesome.
Amazing story. Wear the watch with pride. I'm going to look for that Magnum episode. |
26 April 2014, 06:23 PM | #72 |
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Thanks for sharing John, truly terrifying
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26 April 2014, 07:57 PM | #73 |
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Wow, glad you made it.
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26 April 2014, 08:58 PM | #74 |
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Sir, as a Navy officer, you have my utmost respect.
I'm writing this as I'm looking through my window at the windmills on the horizon. Knowing the hard weather and currents here in the North Sea, I can't imagine trying to reach one of them while paddling. The Gulf is no peace of cake and there is far less traffic, let alone human presence than we have here. An inspiration to all who nowadays tend to give up too easily in the face of adversity! I hope nobody else here finds himself in a similar situation, but I'm certain that if it was the case, your story might help to bite the bullit if need be. Thank you for sharing. |
26 April 2014, 09:03 PM | #75 |
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Incredible!
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26 April 2014, 09:04 PM | #76 |
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Well done sir! Amazing what the human spirit is capable of, and enjoy your Pepsi, you certainly deserve to.
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26 April 2014, 10:35 PM | #77 | |
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Watch: 1971 Red Sub
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Quote:
During the trip, 2 different rig copters flew overhead but never saw me. Once it got dark, I knew that nobody else was going to help me out of my predicament. As I paddled out past the sight of land, I also remembered the story of the hiker that got in trouble in the foothills of the Colorado Rockies. In the end, he had to cut off his left arm at the elbow using a pocket knife. Paddling 14 miles to an oil rig seemed like a piece of cake compared to that! |
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26 April 2014, 11:17 PM | #78 |
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Great story, so thankful you made it and can post on this forum!
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26 April 2014, 11:42 PM | #79 |
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What an awesome story. One of the best posts I've read in a long time. Wear that watch with pride!
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27 April 2014, 12:01 AM | #80 |
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First off, thank you for your service. That is an amazing story. Magnum PI was a hero of mine and that episode has been an inspiration to me on more than one occasion. It also inspired my fascination with Rolex and the first one I purchased myself was a Pepsi 1675. Wear your watch in good health, you deserve it.
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27 April 2014, 12:34 AM | #81 | |
2024 Pledge Member
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Real Name: John Baker III
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Quote:
Thanks for your comments; one of the true ironies of my adventure was my history with the Coast Guard. I attended the Search and Rescue School once as a cadet and once as a requirement for my last tour: CG Rescue Center, Long Beach California. I knew that if I wasn't spotted before darkness fell, there was zero chance that they could find me in the dark. With the air temp dropping to 55 degrees F, I had to get to safety by 3 AM or hypothermia would take it's toll. As it turned out, by midnight I couldn't count to 50 by 2's (stroke counts). When I got into the rig office about 2:15 AM, my arms and legs were all pale grey. At 2:30 I climbed into a hot shower; it was the BEST one I have ever enjoyed! |
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27 April 2014, 01:54 AM | #82 |
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Wow, now THAT'S a story!
Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk |
27 April 2014, 03:35 AM | #83 |
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Thank you for sharing!!! Wow!
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27 April 2014, 03:36 AM | #84 |
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Glad you made it mate - thanks for sharing such a personal and inspiring story!
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27 April 2014, 02:36 PM | #85 |
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Wow!
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27 April 2014, 05:01 PM | #86 |
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Amazing!!! I was about to pick surfing back up after a 20+ year "hiatus" - now I'm having second thoughts!
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27 April 2014, 10:54 PM | #87 |
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Real Name: John Baker III
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Watch: 1971 Red Sub
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27 April 2014, 11:11 PM | #88 |
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What a great story. Thanks for posting it.
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27 April 2014, 11:58 PM | #89 |
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Wow, John. Amazing.
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28 April 2014, 12:11 AM | #90 |
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Amazing story! That GMT was earned the hard way.
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