How A GMT Pepsi Helped Save My Life

[Lucky777]

Awesome story, thanks for sharing !


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

[mkw]

Great story of courage and reward, esp relating to my Rolex icon, the Pepsi.

relevant to the topic, on a board that gets a little goofy sometimes with " is it Ok to shower with my DSSD ? " threads, if I were a private aviator or off shore boater , this would be the only watch to wear , imo, if I didnt have a GPS locator beacon unit strapped to my belt

http://www.breitling.com/en/emergency/

http://www.breitling.com/en/emergency/videos/

[JohnBaker3]

After a little research, I found the Magnum P.I. episode on the internet.

It was titled "Home From the Sea" and was the first episode for season 4.

If you have either Hulu/Plus or Netflix, you should be able to down-load it.

Let me know how it ends !



http://www.tv.com/shows/magnum-pi/ho...the-sea-16058/

[montres1]

incredible story glad your still here with us

[strafer_kid]

Amazing story - enjoy that GMT!

[SALTY]

Thank you for sharing your amazing story.

Talk about a crown for every achievement!

[Beef]

Now that, John, is one hell of an accomplishment!!! And the U.S.C.G. was correct, most 39 year olds couldn't have pulled that off. An amazing story that Rolex would have capitalized on in the old days. That's the kind of rare story that pops up on here that makes my day. Semper Fi, Beef

[JohnBaker3]

Originally Posted by Beef

Now that, John, is one hell of an accomplishment!!! And the U.S.C.G. was correct, most 39 year olds couldn't have pulled that off. An amazing story that Rolex would have capitalized on in the old days. That's the kind of rare story that pops up on here that makes my day. Semper Fi, Beef

Thanks for the nice comments, Beef. Some of my best friends are Jarheads. Glad I could make your day!

I seem to remember a couple of times that they drank me under the table in the Philippines !

[Robs]

Wow, amazing story friend, thanks for sharing it! you earn that beautiful pepsi!

[elcompa]

Dude! Very cool story to go with a VERY cool watch. Glad you're still around.

[SeaAndSky]

I'm a lifelong surfer as well. Great story and well done on keeping your cool and making the hard decision to paddle away from shore. If I might offer a suggestion - don't save that pepsi for special occasions. Wear it every day. Life is too short for those who love it like us watermen.

[JohnBaker3]

Originally Posted by SeaAndSky

If I might offer a suggestion - don't save that pepsi for special occasions. Wear it every day. Life is too short for those who love it like us watermen.

Great comment; I promise to wear it at least once a week just to celebrate living the good life.

[HACKNSACK44]

Amazing story!

[psv]

Amazing story, John! So glad to hear it ended well and big kudos to the brave men and women in the Coast Guard!

[dalip]

Incredible story John

[superdog]

wow. amazing. absolutely amazing.....

[JohnBaker3]

Originally Posted by dalip

Incredible story John

Dalip:

Since you're from Austrailia, you know about surfers and great white sharks (the men in the grey suits)....

Nothing like that in the Gulf, but I had some things to think about during the 10 hour paddle....

After the sun went down, the water was full of phytoplanton that fluoresces when disturbed. Every time my hand pulled another stroke, the water turned a spooky green. All I could imagine was what that must look like to a shark some 30 feet under water:

Probably like a neon sign that reads "Eat at Joe's" !!

[Beef]

Originally Posted by JohnBaker3

Thanks for the nice comments, Beef. Some of my best friends are Jarheads. Glad I could make your day!

I seem to remember a couple of times that they drank me under the table in the Philippines !

Under the table is not necessarily where you want to be in Olongapo, especially in Marilyn's (Subic City) or The Fire Empire in Angeles City!!! Cheers, brother!

[Mike_Templar]

This may be one of the coolest threads ever.

[elcompa]

Originally Posted by JohnBaker3

Dear Friends:

This is going to take a while, so grab an extra cup of coffee and get comfortable.

The "incident" took place on Oct 22nd and 23rd 2009. Here is a link to an interview I did with Harry Smith over at CBS; it covers the basic details and verifies that I'm not as crazy as some people say I am!

I EARNED it !



PS: Sorry Springer; I didn't know you back then or I would have gotten one from you!

OP:
Any thoughts on sending this story on to Rolex corporate HQ? Or to the Rolex magazine for inclusion. Its a great story and I think it's worth a shot. Who knows? They may get more free publicity for presenting you with a new GMT as well. Good for everyone all around!

[Presa canary]

Cool story! Thanks for sharing

[JohnBaker3]

Originally Posted by elcompa

OP:
Any thoughts on sending this story on to Rolex corporate HQ? Or to the Rolex magazine for inclusion. Its a great story and I think it's worth a shot. Who knows? They may get more free publicity for presenting you with a new GMT as well. Good for everyone all around!

After the "event" I sent a stack of newpaper accounts to BOWFLEX because I had been working out on their equipment for about 6 months. I calculated that I made over 8000 strokes in the 10 hour trip plus whatever I did before I headed out to sea....

Not even an acknowlegment letter back....

Don't know about Rolex; if they cared about me as much as our beloved vintage watches, it's another no-show...

Thanks for the comment though....

[rustyduck]

That is an inspiration. How long did it take you to find the "right" watch to honor that event?

[JohnBaker3]

Originally Posted by rustyduck

That is an inspiration. How long did it take you to find the "right" watch to honor that event?

About 4 1/2 years !

[K7Baixo2]

Glad you're among the living. Congrats on surviving.

[Nycturbovr6]

Wow what a story

[james1787]

Thank you for sharing that amazing story!

[dysondiver]

you deserve your rolex ,,, interesting read ,, many thanks

[JohnBaker3]

Hey Guys:

Well you're not gonna believe this, but today I had another "interesting" day at the beach!

Left the house about 9:30 AM headed for Surfside with the backup board on the roof rack (the original is still out in the Gulf somewhere). Just north of Angelton on 288 we go under a large overpass. Out of nowhere, a pidgeon flies into the windshield right in front of Geneva. Since we're doing about 55 MPH, it makes a terrible WHAM and disappears over the roof. You should have seen the look on his face....

I figured that puppy was long gone and worried more about my wife getting her heart started again. I used to fly, and bird strikes are scary stuff. Just ask Capt. Sullenberger.

Anyway, we continued for the last 20 miles of the trip to the beach and pull into the parking lot by the jetty. I hopped out and went to see how bad a mess I needed to clean up before I could head out into the lineup.

Unbelievably, that bird was standing on the roof under the surfboard just looking around!!! I got close enough to see how many fractures he suffered from the impact but he jumped into the air and flew off !! I'm not talking about 30 feet then a crash landing; he circled the closest house twice, then headed back home to Angelton !!

Must be something in the water around here.....



Here are some pics of the roof rack; I think he must have collided with the foam on the cross bar, then squeezed under it for the rest of the trip. I've decided to name him "Rocky" because he's tough as rocks !! One lucky bird indeed !!

[Maxtor]

Great story. Thanks for sharing.