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50 ships, thousands of people, stuck in Baltic Sea ice
Via gCaptain
By Nina Larson (AFP) STOCKHOLM — Around 50 ships, including large ferries carrying thousands, were stuck in the ice in the Baltic Sea, with many unable to move until Friday, Swedish maritime authorities said. Several vessels, including at least one passenger ferry carrying more than 1,000 people, had collided with each other as they drifted amid huge blocks of moving ice. But the Viking Line ferry company insisted “there was at no time any danger to the passengers.” Around 50 commercial vessels and as many as six large passenger ferries had been stuck in the ice Thursday, Johny Lindvall of the Swedish Maritime Administration’s ice breaker unit told AFP around 1930 GMT. Two of the ferries, including the large Isabella passenger ferry carrying 1,322 passengers and crew, had been freed, he said. Four other ships, including the Amorella, another passenger ferry carrying 1,313 people, were still stuck.
First District Public Affairs
U.S. Coast Guard
News Release
Date: March 05, 2010
Contact: Al Johnson
(617) 223-8464
Coast Guard issues fair weather recreational boating warning
BOSTON – The United States Coast Guard is issuing a fair weather warning for all boaters, paddlers, sailors and fishers who plan to venture out this weekend on the inland and coastal waters of the Northeast’s First Coast Guard District.
With sunny skies and spring-like temperatures forecasted for Saturday and Sunday and inland ice covers rapidly subsiding, the beck and call of open water is strong for many small boaters and paddlers. However, the Coast Guard’s advice is to ignore that call unless properly attired in a dry suit or wet suit, wearing a Coast Guard-approved life jacket and prepared in all respects in the event of capsizing or falling overboard.
With coastal water temperatures just a few degrees above freezing and inland waters even colder, the lure of spring-like weather creates a deceptively dangerous combination.
“At this time of year, on unprotected flesh, the debilitating effect of the shock of cold water, is mercilessly unforgiving,” said Al Johnson, the recreational boating specialist for the First Coast Guard District in Boston . “And, I can’t stress enough, if you’re not fully prepared and properly equipped, don’t go.”
The First Coast Guard District suffered its first recreational boating fatality for 2010 last weekend when a canoe carrying three people capsized on the Exeter River in Raymond , NH , resulting in the death of a 21-year old Salem , N.H. , woman. No one was wearing a life jacket.
The Coast Guard highly recommends to those who do venture out on inland and coastal waters at this time of year to adhere to the following guidelines:
- Know and understand the danger of cold water immersion - be aware of and prepared for the shock of sudden immersion and the incapacitating effects of cold water.
- Assess the risk – be realistic about what can go wrong and be fully equipped and prepared to survive. This includes having a VHF radio on coastal waters, cell phone in water-proof bag and appropriate signaling and sound-producing devices.
- Leave a float plan with a responsible individual who knows your intentions, location, and who to call if you fail to return as scheduled.
- In addition to wearing a dry suit or wet suit, wear a Coast Guard-approved life jacket and ensure that your boating or paddling partners do the same.
Johnson recommends boaters and paddlers who have not already done so to take a boater education course through the Coast Guard Auxiliary, U.S. Power Squadrons or with state, private or internet providers. Additional course information can be found at the following websites or by calling the BoatUS Course Line at 1-800-336-BOAT:
U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary – www.cgaux.org
U.S. Power Squadrons – www.usps.org
U.S. Coast Guard Office of Auxiliary and Boating Safety – www.uscgboating.org
National Association of State Boating Law Administrators – www.nasbla.org
Johnson also reminds paddlers that life jacket wear is mandatory on Massachusetts and Connecticut waters through mid-May and in Maine on the Saco River between the Hiram Dam and the ocean through June 1st. Life jackets are required for all boaters and paddlers in New York on all vessels under 21-feet through May 1st.
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Coast Guard Cutter Polar Sea in Kodiak
KODIAK, Alaska - The Seattle-based Coast Guard Cutter Polar Sea anchors in Chiniak Bay immediately adjacent to Kodiak City March 3, 2010, before pulling into Kodiak. The 399-foot Polar Class Icebreaker is scheduled to conduct a two-month deployment as part of a six-year Bering Sea Ecosystem Study.
U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 3rd Class Jonathan Lally.
For more ~~ http://tinyurl.com/ykjrfhq
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Two killed, six injured when 26-foot wave hits Cypriot-owned Louis Majesty cruise ship off French coast - AP
NFL boating tragedy on Oprah 04 March 2010. You’ll recall that Mr. Schuyler is the sole survivor of four that were reported missing on 01 March 2009 and had been reported departing the pier on 28 February 2009 but not returning. The search lasted three days and covered about 24,000 miles of ocean.