Running aground can not only damage your boat and engine, it can get you stuck for a very long time..  Know the tides.  As I became more confident in my boat and what it could do, I began exploring our local tidal creeks.  Finding the perfect fishing spot or scoping out a potential creek where one could wake board undisturbed away from the crowds, can be a lot of fun.  Time flys by if your not paying attention.

One afternoon, I explored a waterway far away from the intracoastal for quite a while.  Before I realized how far into the creek I was and how much time had passed, I began to hit bottom.  It was by then too late.  The tide was rushing out of the creek to fast, and I simply didn’t have enough time to get out into deeper water.   I not only had to wait almost 6 hours until the tide came back in, I received the sunburn of my life and clogged my engine with pluff mud.  Luckily, I was able to blow out the mud, saving my engine from overheating, and I motored home with having learned a valuable lesson.  Always know the schedule of the tides and be aware of how that my effect you when boating in shallow waters.

stuck in the mud..