As I sat there on the rocks working on a plan as to how to get out of this mess, I knew that before I tried anything, I had to get the motors out of the boat. The trolling motor shouldn't be too much trouble, I thought. So, I decided to fetch that one first. One thing I had failed to consider was the fact that when I swam out to the aft of the boat, there was no bottom to the lake. As I wrote earlier, the "shore" went out about two or three feet, then the floor of the lake dropped off into oblivion.
When I reached the back of the boat and finding no bottom to stand on, I knew that I was not going to have any leverage to lift the motors out of the back of the boat once I got them loose. I undid the holding screws of the trolling motor and found that even without touching the bottom the task of lifting the motor over the edge of the boat was not as difficult as I had assumed.
With motor in hand I swam back to the shore and deposited it on the shore behind some rocks. This was when I broke my first toe. When I placed the motor on some rocks, thinking it would hold, I was suddenly caught off guard when the semi heavy motor slipped unexpectedly, and slid down the face of the rocks. I was able to catch the motor before it slipped into the lake, but not until after the shale had caused some other larger rocks to slide as well...one of them slamming into my toe next to the pinky on my right foot. I didn't realize I had broken it until I went to the doctor the next day because of some other injuries received later that day. She asked me if "that" toe, pointing to the injured toe that somehow had become quite swollen, hurt.
Even though I didn't know the toe was broken, I did know it hurt, but there was nothing I could do about that situation, when I had this Herculean task ahead of me. How was I to get the Mercury engine out of the boat knowing I could not stand on the bottom? And, if by chance, I did get the thing out of the boat, how was I supposed to get it to the shore? I envisioned the motor dragging me to the bottom like the battery when it plummeted to the floor of the green murky deep.
OK, I thought. I can sit here and rationalize all day, but that does not solve the problem. I made my way out to the rear of the boat and started unloosening the bolts. Eventually, I was able to move the engine up and down the side of the craft. I pulled myself up the side of the boat as high as I could get and tried lifting the engine enough so the bolt ends would clear the lip of the boat. It didn't work. I just could not get the leverage I needed. I tried again, and failed again. I tried over and over without success. I finally stopped this course of action as I was starting to ask myself if I was starting to go a little crazy seeing as how I was doing the same thing over and over and getting the same results. I held on to the side of the boat and tried to come up with a different plan.
I needed a strong tree limb that I could put at one corner of the rear of the boat and place the other end of the limb on my shoulder. That would give me a "cheater stick" of sorts and a little leverage to push the motor bolts up over the edge. I figured I could rest the motor housing on the side of the boat long enough to get around behind it to "catch" it as it slid into the water..."CATCH IT?" Had I lost my mind? But, I didn't see any other way.
I found the shore again and started looking for a strong stick. When I found the only thing I thought strong enough to work, I made my way back into the lake. With stick strategically and securely lodged in the right place, I "pushed" with everything I had...SNAP!" It broke.
I was not to be beaten, damn it! I pulled myself up on the lip of the rear of the boat grabbed the housing of the motor and from somewhere I found the strength and the leverage to actually lift the motor. Soon, it cleared the rim and the housing rested on the edge. Holding it in place, I eased back into the water ready to let the motor slide down the edge of the boat.
"Please God! Don't let it drag me to my cold slimy grave."
In order to balance this monster, I held onto the motor's lift handle with one hand and steadied the descent with my other hand holding onto the rail of the boat. When the motor was completely submerged, I realized that as long as I held onto the side of the boat, I would not sink with the motor. I also realized that with the motor dangling from my left hand, the task of "swimming" to the shore was going to be impossible, so I started inching my hand along the side of the boat, moving towards the bank of the river at a snail's pace. This process took close to 30 minutes, I think, but my feet finally touched a rock. My heart leaped with relief.
I made my way to the lake's edge, Merc in tow, and tried lifting it up onto the rocks. What folly, I had no strength left. Nevertheless, I couldn't stand there holding onto that motor until next Thursday.
I decided that if I could find the muscles to lift the thing out of the boat, I could certainly find the muscles to put it on the shore. So, I took a big breath, huffed and puffed and lifted. I got the thing up far enough, or so I thought, to rest on a couple of boulders. Just before I placed it on the rocks, my feet flew out from under me because of the green slime on the shale I was standing on. I tumbled to the ground; motor banging onto the rocks, knees slamming down in the rocks, feet sliding out from under me. Then...pain! Pain shooting up my leg from my feet. Of course, I let go of the motor and thank heavens it didn't move as it was snuggled down between a couple of rocks. I rolled over on my back and grabbed my left foot. When I raised it out of the water, I saw a rather odd looking toe formation.
My middle toe on my left foot was unceremoniously sitting jaggedly on top of the toe next to the big toe.
I sat there holding onto my left thigh and rocked back and forth, hoping the pain would just go away.
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