Saturday about 20:30 a 26′ wooden sailboat was floundering in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, off Mc Arthur Bank. There were gusts to 37 knots is the Eastern Straits. The sea state was probably 6′ – 7′. All day long the CG had been making broadcasts forecasting Gale Force winds in the area.
By the time the boater called the CG things had deteriorated to the point where there was lots of angst on the radio. Several times the CG watch stander worked to calm him down.
The next two hours provided interesting listening on the VHF.
The boater was unable to give his position, so the CG honed in on his signal with its Rescue 21 equipment. The CG then tasked a helo, and 40′ Rescue Boat out of Port Angeles. The boater kept asking when help would arrive. During night opps it can take up to 30 minutes (which it did) for a helo crew to gear up, pull the bird out of the hanger and spool it up. Actual flight time to the scene was about 15 minutes. The CG said that the Rescue boat would take about 1hr 40 minutes to make the 24 mile run.
The helo crew indicated that their on scene endurance was 60 minutes, and that the boat would be without assistance for about 40 minutes. After the Rescue Boat had been underway for about 30 minutes, the conditions exceeded their operational limits and 40′ CG boat returned to base. (If it were a dire emergency, the Whidbey Island Naval Air Station was only 8 miles away.)
The CG then informed the boat that if they were to be evacuated, the CG’s mission was over, and that the boater would then be responsible for recovering the vessel. At that point, the boaters, were instructed to prepare their dingy, and that a rescue swimmer would give them more instructions when he was lowered. A 26′ sailboat with its mast flailing in heavy seas is too dangerous of a target for the helo to work with.
The owners were finally lifted aboard the helo and transported safely to Port Angeles, thanks to the helo crew and the watch crew at Sector Puget Sound.
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Sunday 9/5/10 update:
The CG media release on this story is here.
Interesting stuff, we’ve just added this to our blogroll. I’ve stated a number of times that I’m non technical. This is way cool stuff take a look.
Here’s a sample:
This 19.5′ Bayliner had propulsion problems at the Port of Friday Harbor. We took her to the ramp at Washington Park this afternoon.
The forecast for the weekend is not a good one, and we didn’t see the usual holiday boat traffic this afternoon.
via Wunderground
John Patriquin/Staff Photographer
Portland Yacht Services’ Jason Phippen and Matt Ridgeway assist in taking out their 50th boat Thursday ahead of Hurricane Earl.
The Portland (ME) Press Herald is reporting:
Mainers get ready for Earl: Local marinas pull vessels out of harm’s way
By Melanie Creamer
Staff Writer
PORTLAND – Cameron McLellan moved the patio furniture off his dock at DiMillo’s Marina on Thursday morning and secured it to a net on his 63-foot catamaran.
As workers loosened the bolts holding his dock to the marina, McLellan stowed the lawn mower he uses to cut the patch of grass at the end of his dock. He is sailing to safer waters in The Basin in Phippsburg today.
The complete Portland Press Herald post is here.
(Ed. note: Thanks to BE reader Maya C for the update.)
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Friday PM update:
BTW – one of the most difficult things with this storm is to sort out the hype and the real information. While the Portland area is under a “Tropical Storm Watch” , they are preparing for that “Just in case” scenario. Currently, our winds tonight are predicted to be about 30-40 knots which many of us endure in the spring during a “Nor’Easter”. My anxiety level is still a bit high, but time will tell (2AM) as to what Earl will really bring.
I have very close friends that are on their summer cruise right now and changed their plans from heading to Grand Manan and Halifax and head back to the Penobscot Bay area and stay in a hurricaine hole. They will certainly experience tropical storm like weather tonight as the Watch area for this is from Stonington Maine east.
The wind is starting to pick up this afternoon, and the clouds are rolling in. The Cruise ship mentioned in the Press Herald article arrived right on time – 2PM – with our Fireboat welcoming the 3100 passengers with a terrific display of water. They will stay until tomorrow.
Will check in tomorrow.
If you’ve ever wanted to find out more about our licensing courses, please feel free to drop in for the orientation next Tuesday, September 7, 2010.
Paradise Lanes, Friday Harbor (upstairs) map
Zenith Friday Harbor Information (pdf) and registration form
Basic Info, Becoming a Captain (pdf)
USCG approved license courses and instructors are under the approval of Zenith Maritime LLC.
(Ed. note: If you’re planning on dropping by please send me a quick note, so I can have material for you. )
MarineLink.com is reporting:
Aker Philadelphia Shipyard (Oslo: AKPS), a U.S. commercial shipyard, delivered to American Shipping Company (Oslo: AMSC) its tenth Veteran Class MT-46 product tanker. The 46,000 dwt vessel, named the Overseas Anacortes, will leave the shipyard in the coming days under the operation of OSG America to transport petroleum products for Tesoro.
The complete MarineLink.com post is here.
(Ed. note: Thanks to BE reader and former student Capt. Steve Partridge for the link.)
Be Water Wise, “If in doubt, don’t.”
The US Coast Guard is reporting:
News Release: Coast Guard reminds boaters to “Boat Responsibly” during Labor Day weekend
SEATTLE — The U.S. Coast Guard anticipates an increased number of people will utilize Labor Day weekend to take advantage of the recreational boating opportunities available throughout Puget Sound, the Columbia River and along the coasts of Oregon and Washington.
To better prepare the boating community, U.S. Coast Guard, Coast Guard Auxiliary and local marine law enforcement boat crews will be on patrol conducting safety checks on the water, and focusing on boaters who are operating their vessel in an unsafe manner or are operating their vessels while intoxicated.
Boaters, personal watercraft operators, paddlers, and surfers need to be aware of their surroundings, and are reminded to monitor the weather forecast continuously. Weather conditions can change instantaneously, especially during the summer months on throughout Puget Sound and the lower Columbia River region where rapidly forming fog, strong currents, wind and tide changes can hinder safe navigation.
Boaters are asked to remember one very important message this Labor Day weekend: “You’re in Command. Boat Responsibly!”
Here are three steps every boater can do to reduce the risk of accidents and/or prevent serious injuries and assure the boating community that “You’re in Command” and you will “Boat Responsibly.”
Boaters should always wear a life jacket. Wearing a lifejacket will increase the chances of survivability in a boating accident. The number one cause of boating fatalities is drowning, most often by sudden, unexpected entry into the water. The law states you must have a life jacket, or personal floatation device, for every person on board. The Coast Guard suggests you go one step further and wear your life jacket at all times. It is much more difficult to locate, access and don a life jacket at the moment the accident occurs.
DO NOT boat under the influence of alcohol and/or drugs. Alcohol and drugs affect judgment, vision, balance and coordination. Factor in boat motion, vibration, engine noise, sun, wind and spray and an operator’s impairment is accelerated. Intoxicated boaters can face both federal and state charges with penalties of up to one year in prison and fines up to $100,000. But, don’t be fooled into thinking that lesser amounts of alcohol consumption are OK, or that passengers aren’t at risk if they drink. The latest study on boating and alcohol indicates that the risk of a fatality rises significantly at amounts as low as .02 Blood Alcohol Content (BAC). (Legal definition of intoxication in Oregon and Washington is .08 BAC.)
Dress for the water, not the weather:
Water temperatures throughout the Pacific Northwest remain in the 50s during this time of year. Susceptibility to hypothermia is increased due to these lower water temperatures and survivability time in the water is decreased as a result. Wet suits and other personal protective equipment assist the body as an insulator, limiting exposure to dangerous water temperatures.
The complete USCG post is here.
Preparations in Portland, ME
Red Cross link is here.
RR
Just finished what I could to get ready for Earl… Some boats have moved but many are still here, and surprisingly with dodgers up, tenders in the water and items still on deck.
It’s a wait and see thing now.
Pray to Neptune for a good outcome.
M
(Ed. note: Maya C. is a regular BE commenter and has been a reader since or beginnings.)
King5.com is reporting:
SEATTLE – A Seattle diver captured Mother Nature at work in Seattle’s Elliott Bay.
Earlier this week, a fellow scuba diver told Koos du Preez that a giant Pacific octopus had just died and her eggs were starting to hatch.
Du Preez happened to have his underwater HD video camera with him and jumped at the opportunity to tape the underwater scene.
“It was just thousands of them out there, and you could see it looks like fairy dust almost, when you sit down they are just everywhere around you. It’s a pretty amazing sight,” he said.
The complete King5.com post is here.
(Ed. note: Thanks to BE reader Gerald Albertson for the link.)
This from friends in Portland, Maine
Track Earl via Wunderground, here
RR
I have been monitoring the hurricane discussions on weatherunderground all day. I called my insurance carrier for the boat to discuss coverage for hauling the boat and then had a lengthy discussion with our yard manager about the possibilty of hauling in the next 24 hours.
Given we are located in the 3rd largest anchorage ( 1200 moorings) on the east coast it’s unrealistic ( in my opinion) to think everyone can get hauled.
Tomorrow my plan is to reduce as much windage as possible on the boat, and stay in the anchorage…. For now. We have new tackle, new pendants, Kevlar chafe guards on the pendants and we are fortunate to be in a less populated area of the Falmouth anchorage. If the weather really changes for the worst and we cannot get hauled there is always, what I call, “plan c” which is to move to a hurricane hole. Time is certainly ticking….
Let you know more tomorrow…
M
