I went out of SI yesterday (March 31st) at 2:00 to fish plastics around the Navy pilings across the bay. I headed straight for the red channel marker bouy on the far side of the bay.
About 2/3 of the way across the channel, I noticed a 50'+ sportfisher 1000 yards south, bearing down on me. He was doing 12-15 kts, heading out of the channel. There were no other vessels within 1 mi.
When he was 300 yards off, I realized a collision was emminent, as I could no longer see any heads on the bridge.
I stopped paddling, and the guy passed 40ft off my bow, kicking up a wake that was over my head. The one guy on the bridge was concentrating hard on the chick he had with him on the bridge. I shrugged my shoulders at the guy, and he yelled that I shouldn't be in the channel.
He sure slowed down however when he passed a destroyer, I am guessing someone got on a radio and yelled at him.
It was a 50'+ late model sport-fisher, named Fight On, with a tower, satellite TV ball, and looked to be either a Bertram or a Viking. I just wanted to take the time to say how much I really appreciate boaters like this. Thanks for reading my rant, I might put in a couple drifts by the SDB bait receiver today.