Captain Rande

A Coast Guard helicopter was deployed by Air Station Savannah...

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 21:39:45 -0500

A Coast Guard helicopter was deployed by Air Station Savannah over the weekend to rescue a man stranded on a sandbar at the north end of South Carolina’s Kiawah Island.

The man had been hiking on the beach and became stranded on a sandbar after the rising tide cut him off from shore. The man then contacted the Coast Guard for assistance.

The incident is a reminder to people to be aware of rising and receding tides and to plan their trips accordingly.

(U.S. Coast Guard video from the Hoist Cam aboard CG-6542)

CGC Tahoma crew recounts Haiti relief...

Tue, 09 Mar 2010 13:42:35 -0500

CGC Tahoma crew recounts Haiti relief effort

http://tinyurl.com/yaet5hn

50 ships, thousands of people, stuck in Baltic Sea ice Via...

Sat, 06 Mar 2010 17:01:52 -0500

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.

http://tinyurl.com/yhcf4e4

Coast Guard issues fair weather recreational boating warning

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 16:36:17 -0500

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 1^st. Life jackets are required for all boaters and paddlers in New York on all vessels under 21-feet through May 1^st.

###

The Pentagon Channel reports on the Coast Guard helicopter that...

Fri, 05 Mar 2010 13:02:28 -0500

The Pentagon Channel reports on the Coast Guard helicopter that crashed in Utah on April 3, 2010.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qMw0sasXC9s

Rogue waves strike cruise ship Louis...

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 16:14:00 -0500

Rogue waves strike cruise ship Louis Majesty.

http://tinyurl.com/yz2yqol

Coast Guard Cutter Polar Sea in Kodiak KODIAK, Alaska - The...

Thu, 04 Mar 2010 15:17:20 -0500

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

3 injured in USCG helicopter crash in Uinta Mountains March 3rd,...

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 15:54:14 -0500

3 injured in USCG helicopter crash in Uinta Mountains

March 3rd, 2010 @ 1:25pm

WASATCH COUNTY, UTAH — A Coast Guard helicopter crashed on a snowy ridge south east of Kamas Wednesday morning, injuring three people, one critically.

Wasatch County Sheriff Todd Bonner said the helicopter went down in an area known as Silver Meadows, which is several miles north of Wolf Creek Pass in Wasatch County.

After the crash, Bonner said people on the ground were able to use text messages to call for help. A second Coast Guard helicopter, which was in the area, was eventually able to land and pick up two of the more seriously injured patients. They were flown to University of Utah Hospital.

For more ~~ http://ow.ly/1dRB6

Two killed, six injured when 26-foot wave hits Cypriot-owned...

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 13:03:10 -0500

Two killed, six injured when 26-foot wave hits Cypriot-owned Louis Majesty cruise ship off French coast - AP

http://www.louiscruises.com/

NFL boating tragedy on Oprah 04 March 2010. You’ll recall that...

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:57:27 -0500

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.

http://tinyurl.com/y87xtb5

Mayday! Bering Sea — Discovery Channel Special on Alaskan...

Wed, 03 Mar 2010 10:52:35 -0500

Mayday! Bering Sea — Discovery Channel Special on Alaskan Ranger. March 3, 2010

Seattle fishing boat sinks at sea; 4 dead, search continues for missing crewman

Shortly before 3 a.m. Sunday, the Coast Guard in Alaska got a chilling call from a Seattle-based fishing vessel out in the Bering Sea. “Mayday “Mayday! Mayday! Mayday…

For the rest of the story ~~ http://tinyurl.com/2ygcxg

Coast Guard rescues missing man MOBILE, Ala. — Coast Guard...

Tue, 02 Mar 2010 11:43:15 -0500

Coast Guard rescues missing man

MOBILE, Ala. — Coast Guard crewmembers (from left) Petty Officer 3rd Class Caleb Flippin, Ensign Miek Yanez, Petty Officer 3rd Class Brandon Caskey, Lt. Cmdr. Breanna Knutson and Ensign Mike Yanez from Air Station New Orleans pose at the Panama City Airport with a man they rescued after he was reported missing last night when he didn’t return with the jet ski he rented, March, 2, 2010. The man ran out of gas and had run aground due to the strong winds. The crew hoisted the man and transported him safely to Panama City Airport where emergency medical technicians were standing by.

U.S. Coast Guard photograph.

http://tinyurl.com/yjuyx37

Do NOT miss this…!!! Mayday! Bering Sea — Discovery...

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 21:36:26 -0500

Do NOT miss this…!!!

Mayday! Bering Sea — Discovery Channel Special on Alaskan Ranger. March 3, 2010

Seattle fishing boat sinks at sea; 4 dead, search continues for missing crewman

Shortly before 3 a.m. Sunday, the Coast Guard in Alaska got a chilling call from a Seattle-based fishing vessel out in the Bering Sea. “Mayday “Mayday! Mayday! Mayday…

For the rest of the story ~~ http://tinyurl.com/2ygcxg

A NATO destroyer has sunk a pirate mothership in the Indian...

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 18:38:44 -0500

A NATO destroyer has sunk a pirate mothership in the Indian Ocean off the Somali coast after allowing the crew to leave, the alliance said Monday.

Shona Lowe, an anti-piracy spokeswoman, said the HDMS Absalon - the Danish flagship of the three-vessel NATO flotilla in the region - disrupted a pirate operation by “scuttling” one of the large boats used by Somali gangs to transport attack teams to piracy hunting areas far off the coast.

The mothership was fired on and sunk after its crew members were transferred to a smaller boat in tow, which was allowed to return to the mainland, she said.

For more…visit ~~ http://tinyurl.com/ygarar2

Death of NFL Players in Boat Accident Recalled by Sole...

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 17:42:09 -0500

Death of NFL Players in Boat Accident Recalled by Sole Survivor

One year ago, athletic trainer Nick Schuyler survived for 43 hours clinging to an overturned boat in the Gulf of Mexico, in an accident that took the lives of two National Football League players and another friend.

“Not Without Hope,” Schuyler’s memoir, recalls their profoundly sad struggle for life.

For more ~~ http://tinyurl.com/yehgjo2

BMW Oracle on YouTube Our friends at BMW are as happy as we are...

Mon, 01 Mar 2010 10:04:59 -0500

BMW Oracle on YouTube

Our friends at BMW are as happy as we are with the result of AC33. Here’s a short highlights video they’ve produced for their YouTube channel.

http://tinyurl.com/yfgfny6

KINGSTON — Capt. Matthew Perricone of the tugboat Cornell says...

Sun, 28 Feb 2010 21:15:32 -0500

KINGSTON — Capt. Matthew Perricone of the tugboat Cornell says that when he spotted a woman who’d jumped from the Mid-Hudson Bridge in slushy Hudson River waters Sunday afternoon there was no question what to do.

“When somebody is in the water, you get them out of there,” said Perricone, 29, of Valhalla. “When somebody needs help, you help them.”

So that’s what Perricone and his crew aboard the Cornell, which docks at the city’s Rondout waterfront, did.

According to city of Poughkeepsie police, a woman jumped off the Mid-Hudson Bridge shortly before 1:45 p.m. The woman, who was not identified, was injured and transported to St. Francis Hospital in Poughkeepsie.

Police were uncertain of her condition Monday, but said she had survived.

Just after the woman jumped off the bridge, Perricone and his crew aboard the Cornell were traveling along the river near the Mid-Hudson Bridge.

The tugboat had spent the day helping another tugboat cut though ice along the shores at Newburgh, Perricone said Monday.

“We were coming home,” Perricone said.

But before they arrived in Kingston, Perricone said, he spotted the woman in a slushy spot about 30 feet from land on the Dutchess County side of the river.

“We all thought that she was dead,” Perricone said.,

The tugboat veered toward the woman and the crew prepared for a rescue. About 50 feet away from her, Perricone said, a crew member, Tim Ivory, had some news.

“She had raised her hand up and (he) yelled, ‘she’s alive,’” Perricone said.

Ivory, who is a skilled lineman, tossed a rope out to the woman and “it landed right on top of her,” Perricone said.

A portion of the slush had been cut away by the tugboat so the crew were able to pull the woman through icy waters, Perricone said.

At that point, she was brought aboard and transported by other rescue workers to St. Francis Hospital.

Perricone has been working tugboats along the Hudson River for about eight years. For the past three years, he has been captain and owner of the Cornell.

Perricone said he has never participated in such a rescue, but doesn’t consider it a deed of heroism.

“I would hope that this would be something any good mariner would do,” Perricone said.

Tsunami Safety & Preparedness in Hawaiʻi Do you live or work...

Sat, 27 Feb 2010 13:15:21 -0500

Tsunami Safety & Preparedness in Hawaiʻi

Do you live or work in a tsunami evacuation zone? Enter your address or search for your island area and see for yourself. You can also find these maps in the front of any Hawaiʻi phonebook or the Pacific Disaster Center website.

http://tinyurl.com/y8qvdyt

I’m going squirrel fishing this weekend…wish me...

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 17:51:01 -0500

I’m going squirrel fishing this weekend…wish me luck!

Anchoring 101 ~~ Anchor Away!

Fri, 26 Feb 2010 13:45:49 -0500

Anchoring 101 ~~ Anchor Away!