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#11
TSBB General Talk / Re: Vibrio Vulnificus
Last post by Doug SC - Aug 17, 2026, 12:44 PMA good band aid is always appropriate.
#12
TSBB General Talk / Re: Vibrio Vulnificus
Last post by Riley Smith - Aug 17, 2026, 10:46 AMThanks Doug, all that good information. No, make that great information. The Hibiclens would seem to cover the advice that keeping wounds covered is best, too. I am preferential to certain industrial strength band aids for most of that but will check out Hibiclens. Although, I can't ever remember having covered an insect bite. Oh well, still great info and you make your choices and ante the bet. As far as ghardia, trust me, I came close with that one. Worst I've ever felt in my life because I got really weak from the bug stealing all my nutrition. And dehydrated to boot. I was beginning to believe that dying would be better when I got the SECONDARY opportunistic strep. We made a drastic change of venue to get someone that knew something about parasitic infections luckily, and were successful. I say we because most of the time I wasn't even capable. And which underscored my disdain for certain professionals I had more or less trusted with my life. Food for thought, all of it.
#13
Tales and Trip Reports / Re: More Lobster Stories . . ....
Last post by pgandw - Aug 16, 2026, 10:06 PMNot lobster, but 2 crab stories from my time in Juneau, Alaska.
1. Not me, but a friend caught a crab thief pulling his pots. Brought him to the boat launch at gun point, had him pull his aluminum boat out of the water. Friend pulled out a can of florescent orange spray paint and sprayed "Crab Pot Thief" in nice big letters on both sides of the thief's boat. I saw the newly named boat as it left the launch ramp in shame. Alaska Fisheries didn't interfere, as they felt justice had been done.
2. A different friend asked me to help him pull his crab pots after work in late October. It gets dark and cold early and fast in Juneau that time of year. He didn't tell me until after we left the dock in his 17ft aluminum skiff that we were pulling king crab pots. King crab lives down around 200ft, so pots have to be weighted and lead-lined rope used to place and pull the pots. He had a lawn mower engine mounted on the starboard gunwhale that he used as a winch to pull the pots up. It was dusk and lightly snowing when we got to the pots - I was pretty miserable. That lawn mower engine was straining, and the gunwhale was being pulled down 6in by the weight of each pot.
In his 5 pots were 6 king crabs. Alaska requires you keep the crabs alive to the dock so Fisheries can check them. Where do 6 live king crabs go in a 17ft skiff? Right on the floorboards, of course. Luckily, king crabs move very slowly when near the surface. So in addition to tending 240ft of pot line, I had to watch the moving crab claws to make sure they weren't getting too near my feet and/or ankles. Each crab had a span of about 5-7 ft and weighed 10-12 lbs, so they occupied most of the floorboards.
He rewarded me for my help with 3 of the crabs. They were delicious, and made up for the snow, cold, dark, and claw dodging.
Fred W
1. Not me, but a friend caught a crab thief pulling his pots. Brought him to the boat launch at gun point, had him pull his aluminum boat out of the water. Friend pulled out a can of florescent orange spray paint and sprayed "Crab Pot Thief" in nice big letters on both sides of the thief's boat. I saw the newly named boat as it left the launch ramp in shame. Alaska Fisheries didn't interfere, as they felt justice had been done.
2. A different friend asked me to help him pull his crab pots after work in late October. It gets dark and cold early and fast in Juneau that time of year. He didn't tell me until after we left the dock in his 17ft aluminum skiff that we were pulling king crab pots. King crab lives down around 200ft, so pots have to be weighted and lead-lined rope used to place and pull the pots. He had a lawn mower engine mounted on the starboard gunwhale that he used as a winch to pull the pots up. It was dusk and lightly snowing when we got to the pots - I was pretty miserable. That lawn mower engine was straining, and the gunwhale was being pulled down 6in by the weight of each pot.
In his 5 pots were 6 king crabs. Alaska requires you keep the crabs alive to the dock so Fisheries can check them. Where do 6 live king crabs go in a 17ft skiff? Right on the floorboards, of course. Luckily, king crabs move very slowly when near the surface. So in addition to tending 240ft of pot line, I had to watch the moving crab claws to make sure they weren't getting too near my feet and/or ankles. Each crab had a span of about 5-7 ft and weighed 10-12 lbs, so they occupied most of the floorboards.
He rewarded me for my help with 3 of the crabs. They were delicious, and made up for the snow, cold, dark, and claw dodging.
Fred W
#14
TSBB General Talk / Re: Vibrio Vulnificus
Last post by Doug SC - Aug 16, 2026, 01:18 PMWith Guardia, it is suggested to collect water from a still pool when collecting it for drinking from a clear stream. The organism tends to sink to the bottom but can be found in the water collum in moving water. I always used iodine tablets or a good water filter when camping in the mountains and back country. Even boiling it when I didn't have either option at hand.
#15
TSBB General Talk / Re: Vibrio Vulnificus
Last post by Doug SC - Aug 16, 2026, 01:10 PMThanks for posting this I was too lazy the other day when I thought I should post about the increase in fatal cases this year. It was after reading a while back there have been nine deaths in LA and five in FL this year. It lives in mostly brackish water not so much in ocean water (high salinity) or fresh water (low salinity). There is a reason you don't eat oysters in months with an R in them and this is one of them. However, here in the south that doesn't really hold true especially now that fall and spring are hotter for longer. If you take something to reduce stomach acids it increases the chance of getting it from raw oysters. I too love them but don't eat them anymore.
Whenever I am active on the water I carry Hibiclens which is an antiseptic/antimicrobial that leaves a coating over the cut that protects it if not washed off. I put it on right away to try and kill any microbes to protect and provide a barrier. I suppose super glue would work to provide a barrier to an open cut.
In fresh water you can get the ameba (Naegleria fowleri) that is fatal if it gets up your nose where it can get into your brain. It is almost always fatal. The moral to that story is don't get water up your nose to start with.
Whenever I am active on the water I carry Hibiclens which is an antiseptic/antimicrobial that leaves a coating over the cut that protects it if not washed off. I put it on right away to try and kill any microbes to protect and provide a barrier. I suppose super glue would work to provide a barrier to an open cut.
In fresh water you can get the ameba (Naegleria fowleri) that is fatal if it gets up your nose where it can get into your brain. It is almost always fatal. The moral to that story is don't get water up your nose to start with.
#16
TSBB General Talk / Vibrio Vulnificus
Last post by Riley Smith - Aug 16, 2026, 12:20 PMYes, there is a spate of the pathogen going around the southern waters. There are several cases along the coast and my son-in-law is friends with one of the patients. His prognosis is ....serious. They were considering amputating his leg yesterday and I haven't heard the decision. A picture he posted showed a calf and lower leg colored blue, terribly swollen, with red edges in spots, and underscored the seriousness of this malady. It looked really bad and the guy thinks he got it from scratching AN INSECT BITE! Here the feeling was that you contact it mostly in the estuary and backwaters but he was at the islands where the water is clear and "clean".
When it gets really hot I sort of stay away from the water. Not for that reason only, but that figures in the mix. A few years ago I fell off the pier when a board broke, and smashed my hand into a piling on the way down. Man, I was really concerned because I wasn't clean, I had been fishing, and it seemed to be a perfect spot and time to get that stuff. And then the wound wouldn't heal. I finally bent my wrist backwards, opening up the wound, and found a big piece of the pier stuck way down deep. It healed up after removing the wood but I was really concerned.
So, having in my hand one of the most impressive information tools every invented, I scouted around. Vibrio is related to cholera and it's a life-or-death emergency once the infection takes off. Many die. It is associated with warm coastal waters with the emphasis on warm. I've noticed over the years that no infections seem to happen once it gets cooler. And it is also associated with shellfish. My brother had an old doctor in New Orleans that wasn't present for one of his visits and he asked where he was. He had died from eating oysters.
I quit eating raw oysters after that tidbit. Man I love 'em ... tabasco soaked on a cracker. But no more. I haven't eaten any in almost a decade. (Older people are more susceptible). They do say any wound or BREAK IN THE SKIN can allow the pathogen in. If you know me, you know I'm a klutz and ALWAYS have some wound somewhere or another. Best to just stay away until the heat goes.
It also seems to me that low river levels are also conducive to this problem. Any condition where the flow is low or absent. During August the rivers are at the least flow of the year (barring hurricanes). Sort of like Ghardia in a way. My doc told me that water wells showed a distinct uptick in that particular bug (ghardia) in periods of low rainfall and hot weather. ANOTHER of the bugs that you don't want to get. So...not a good time to be smearing your body with potentially fatal bacteria!
And yeah, it is rare. Consider the thousands that go in the water every day and nothing ever happens. But it can and the older you get, the more dangerous it is. And I'm pretty fond of walking and breathing. Ya'll be careful.
I immediately washed the wound I had with clean water and soap and then soaked it with alcohol. And kept it bandaged. It never really got bad but it wouldn't heal and I was beginning to get worried enough to go to the doctor. And I trust doctors about as much as...well, lets just say we don't get along well. It healed quickly once I yanked the wood out. Gotta be careful out there!
Older applies to very many of us.
When it gets really hot I sort of stay away from the water. Not for that reason only, but that figures in the mix. A few years ago I fell off the pier when a board broke, and smashed my hand into a piling on the way down. Man, I was really concerned because I wasn't clean, I had been fishing, and it seemed to be a perfect spot and time to get that stuff. And then the wound wouldn't heal. I finally bent my wrist backwards, opening up the wound, and found a big piece of the pier stuck way down deep. It healed up after removing the wood but I was really concerned.
So, having in my hand one of the most impressive information tools every invented, I scouted around. Vibrio is related to cholera and it's a life-or-death emergency once the infection takes off. Many die. It is associated with warm coastal waters with the emphasis on warm. I've noticed over the years that no infections seem to happen once it gets cooler. And it is also associated with shellfish. My brother had an old doctor in New Orleans that wasn't present for one of his visits and he asked where he was. He had died from eating oysters.
I quit eating raw oysters after that tidbit. Man I love 'em ... tabasco soaked on a cracker. But no more. I haven't eaten any in almost a decade. (Older people are more susceptible). They do say any wound or BREAK IN THE SKIN can allow the pathogen in. If you know me, you know I'm a klutz and ALWAYS have some wound somewhere or another. Best to just stay away until the heat goes.
It also seems to me that low river levels are also conducive to this problem. Any condition where the flow is low or absent. During August the rivers are at the least flow of the year (barring hurricanes). Sort of like Ghardia in a way. My doc told me that water wells showed a distinct uptick in that particular bug (ghardia) in periods of low rainfall and hot weather. ANOTHER of the bugs that you don't want to get. So...not a good time to be smearing your body with potentially fatal bacteria!
And yeah, it is rare. Consider the thousands that go in the water every day and nothing ever happens. But it can and the older you get, the more dangerous it is. And I'm pretty fond of walking and breathing. Ya'll be careful.
I immediately washed the wound I had with clean water and soap and then soaked it with alcohol. And kept it bandaged. It never really got bad but it wouldn't heal and I was beginning to get worried enough to go to the doctor. And I trust doctors about as much as...well, lets just say we don't get along well. It healed quickly once I yanked the wood out. Gotta be careful out there!
Older applies to very many of us.
#17
TSBB General Talk / The Navel Logistics Problem
Last post by Doug SC - Aug 16, 2026, 08:46 AMFor those of you who might be interested in the logistical problem facing the navy right now this is an in-depth analysis not a political one.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT784GgO8-o
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FT784GgO8-o
#18
TSBB General Talk / Re: Bolgar Bobcat modification...
Last post by Ziradog - Aug 15, 2026, 08:21 PMIt's a great book, highly recommend it.
#19
TSBB General Talk / Re: Bolgar Bobcat modification...
Last post by Riley Smith - Aug 14, 2026, 10:20 AMThat underscores the exhaustion that must accompany such a solo voyage. When can you sleep?
Cool story!
Cool story! #20
TSBB General Talk / Re: Bolgar Bobcat modification...
Last post by Krusen - Aug 13, 2026, 10:24 PMThe sub that surfaced did the usual security radar sweep, and received a possible return, very weak.
It could have been another sub, just the top of the conning tower exposed, or just floating trash. Since they were in a combat training activity, it was necessary to find the answer. They went to battle stations, and slowly approached the target. After clearly identifying it as a tiny sailboat, they hailed by voice, with no response. The diving claxon was then sounded, which caused the appearance of the exhausted sailor and the conversation. Not only fresh fruit, but fresh water was a welcome gift.
Norman Koon, a good friend of mine, was an officer on that atomic sub, and on deck when the klaxon was sounded.
The crew of the sub found it hard to believe that such a small craft could sail that far from the USA, but it was there! That fact alone led them to believe that it was possible that he would sail Tinker Bell all the way.
It could have been another sub, just the top of the conning tower exposed, or just floating trash. Since they were in a combat training activity, it was necessary to find the answer. They went to battle stations, and slowly approached the target. After clearly identifying it as a tiny sailboat, they hailed by voice, with no response. The diving claxon was then sounded, which caused the appearance of the exhausted sailor and the conversation. Not only fresh fruit, but fresh water was a welcome gift.
Norman Koon, a good friend of mine, was an officer on that atomic sub, and on deck when the klaxon was sounded.
The crew of the sub found it hard to believe that such a small craft could sail that far from the USA, but it was there! That fact alone led them to believe that it was possible that he would sail Tinker Bell all the way.