Here is the (much) longer story that tangentially involved the crab boat High Hopes on June 17, 2012. I posted this on coastsidefishingclub after it happened: I finally got out to 46/46, a bit short of the weather buoy. Had my line in for ~10 minutes and was doing a Priority Scan of 16, 19 and 67. A commercial crabber named High Hopes puts out a call on 16 to USCG relaying a request for assistance by a large disabled recreational fishing vessel hes come upon in the relatively thick fog. Both USCG and Vessel Assist respond. We switch to 78 with VA. High Hopes relays position, which is about 1.5 miles from my current. (I could tell he was close, because he was a really clear.) VA attempts to look up customer account, but finds none for the Captain of the disabled vessel. Hes dead in the water in a 37 flybridge battlewagon with 2 people onboard. Both are seasick. The VHF is not working. Theres no EPIRB. Were all out of cell phone range. Vessel Assist wanted to avoid relaying a CC number over the VHF if at all possible and wasnt certain if they could find a Captain willing to respond without having payment secured prior to dispatching. Meanwhile, the disabled vessel was drifting North East right into the North Shipping Lanes. USCG VTS was advised of the situation. I raise the Captain of High Hopes on 22 and tell him that Im nearby and can assist. Hes anxious to get he and his crew back to work. I run over, establish comms with USCG/Vessel Assist, hand the Captain of the disabled vessel a good Motorola Handheld VHF and relieve the working crab boat. (Many Kudos to High Hopes for finding this vessel and rendering assistance!) After a quick survey, its clear why the vessel is disabled: her anchor deployed while underway and the chain wrapped in at least 1 wheel/shaft. Anchor was dangling in the drift off the stern of the boat. Captain was unsure of other engine and unable to properly control vessel when he tried to get her underway on 1. I contaced USCG on 22 and said that Id try to tow her in. You may have heard about the weather on SUN by now. Towing this boat with an 18 rubber toy was a challenge, but I was up for giving it a try... at least to get her out of the shipping lanes while Vessel Assist and USCG worked out a plan. As were making up a tow bridle, USCG calls to ask what kind of a boat I have. I tell them. After about a minute: Captain, were getting a 47 Motor Life Boat from Station Golden Gate underway. ETA 45 minutes. Phew... now I just had to get her out of the shipping lanes. Sector San Francisco, Station Golden Gate and VTS all had our backs at this point. After a couple of a screwy bridle arrangements, I find one that works. Getting that big boat underway was a herky/jerky challenge, but once I got her moving, we were able to make ~3.5 - 4 knots and keep a reasonably steady course towards Bonita. I dreaded the thought of coming across a crab pot string, though. My maneuverability was a bit on the low side... Sure enough, out of the fog about 45 minutes later suddenly appears a beautiful gray USCG MLB roaring towards us dotted with a bunch of orange Mustang Float Coats. I slow the package down, disconnect the bridle, retrieve my handheld VHF and hand-off to USCG. Thats the last I heard of my 2 new friends. Lessons Summarized: -Maintain an active Boat US/Vessel Assist Membership. Pay the extra money for the Gold package. -Test your radio on 9 or 19 before leaving the dock... or at least before leaving The Bay. -Use the safety clip/lanyard on your anchor. Somebody should always have to manually unclip the safety before the anchor will pay out. -If you damage your running gear, the very first thing you need to do is check for water coming into the boat. If so, stop it. -USCG can communicate with a good handheld VHF from beyond the North Shipping Lanes. Keep one on hand with an extra battery and charge them each night before getting underway. -Setup your main VHF to scan a couple/few frequencies, including 16 in Priority mode. Alternatively, leave a second fixed radio on 16 at all times. -When you hear a call for help that sounds (or is) nearby, follow the conversation as they switch channels... at least for a little while to see whats going on. -Install and maintain an EPIRB. It could be your last hope for survival if a containership plows through you in the fog. -Sometimes the extra things you throw on your boat dont turn out being for you. Whether its a VHF, a toolkit or a couple of beers (thanks again SS crew!) dont be shy about taking some extra crap out with you. -USCG rocks! Thats about it. Stay safe and catch fish. Root -Out
Posted on: Tue, 27 Jan 2015 04:49:22 +0000
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