The Clueless rescue.......So Im returning to Shoreline Marina in Long Beach this evening aboard our Hunter 340, were following our normal rituals of firing up the engine, dousing the sails, dropping the fenders over the side and making our final turn into the marina. Out of the corner of my eye I notice a 32 foot sailboat, bow first hovering no more than 15 feet from a rock jetty. Sails down, engine running but dead in the water. The position of the boat in the harbor entrance just didnt make sense to me. I aborted our approach up the channel and turned towards the other boat. Passing port to port I shouted to the skipper Is everything OK? Mind you theres a 3 to 4 foot chop, winds are blowing at 20 to 25 mph and where in close quarters. The Skipper looks up from the cockpit floor and shouts back that his transmission wont engage. No forward or reverse! Hes now a mere 10 feet from the rocks. I pass by him while sending my buddy up to the bow with rope in hand. Once past the stern of the other boat I turn a hard 180 degrees and bear down on the stricken boat. Putting the bow rail of our boat almost on top of the stern of other boat my buddy tosses the rope at the skipper and he catches it on the second toss. His boat is virtually on top of the rocks. I slam my engine into reverse and slowly back him away from the rocks and to safety. 5 minutes later the Long Beach Police arrive and take over the rescue. The Police thanked me for getting involved and saving the sailboat from what would have been certain disaster. The irony was not a word of thanks from the other Skipper. Nothing!! I was surprised to say the least. I honestly think he was clueless as to how much trouble he was really in. Oh well.....Pay it Forward I guess!!
Posted on: Mon, 21 Jul 2014 05:57:55 +0000
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