Blogs

Boat slams into rocks and capsizes in Redondo Beach’s King Harbor, man rescued 2-17-2014 – Redondo Beach, CA A man was rescued by Los Angeles County lifeguards Monday after his sailboat slammed against rocks and capsized in the Redondo Beach harbor.  It is unknown why the 30-foot sailboat hit the rocks close to the Redondo buoy around 1 p.m., according to lifeguard Section Chief Terry Yamamoto. “He didn’t yell for help or anything like that,” Yamamoto said. When the lifeguard craft arrived, the man was about to jump off his boat.  “He would have been crushed in between the boat and the rocks,” Yamamoto said. “(The lifeguard) basically saved the guy’s life.” The man, who was not identified, was not injured. The lifeguards attempted to take the mast down and salvage the sailboat, but the hull was so badly damaged, it fell apart and the boat sank, settling at 150 feet into the harbor canyon, he said. “At this point, it’s too unsafe to dive that deep,” Yamamoto said. “Unless he’s got a ton of gold on it ... for most people, that’s too far to dive.” Read full story here.

Coast Guard rescues 3 adults and 2 children near Port Ludlow, Wash. 2-15-2014 - Seattle, WA Coast Guard Cutter Terrapin crew rescues three adults and two children near Port Ludlow, Wash., Saturday. Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound watch standers assumed mission coordination over the 34-foot sailing vessel, Slacker Jack, after its crew was overcome by foul weather conditions two miles offshore from Port Ludlow, at approximately 6:10 a.m. The Coast Guard Cutter Terrapin’s crew was diverted to the scene and observed the vessel taking on water over the side. Crewmembers aboard Terrapin deemed that towing the vessel was unsafe and transferred all the Slacker Jacks passengers aboard the Terrapin. They were taken to Port Ludlow where EMS was waiting for them. All of the rescued members were evaluated by Jefferson County emergency medical technicians and released. The Slacker Jack is currently adrift but does not carry any threat of pollution. Sector Puget Sound recorded the position of the vessel and issued a broadcast notice to mariners of the navigational hazard. Read full story here.

Medical examiner says man found dead in Ala Wai Boat Harbor was from Indiana 2-13-2014 – Honolulu, HI A man found dead last week in the Ala Wai Boat Harbor has been identified as an Indiana resident. The Honolulu Star-Advertiser (http://bit.ly/NCr86J) reports the Medical Examiner's Office has identified the man as 63-year-old Terry Summar of Crown Point. The cause of death was not disclosed and additional tests are planned. Honolulu police have listed the case as an unattended death pending results of the examination. Summar's body was found floating in harbor at 8:40 p.m. Thursday. Read full story here. 

Boat fires extinguished on District waterfront near Navy Yard 2-11-2014 Washington, DC D.C. firefighters have extinguished fires aboard two boats at a yacht club on the Anacostia River near the Navy Yard in Southeast Washington, according to a department spokesman.  The fire agency had initially said there was a third fire aboard a boat two miles away along with waterfront in Southwest Washington. But the spokesman, Tim Wilson, said that turned out to be a glitch that erroneously showed up on the computer system as a separate fire. Wilson said the two boats that burned were docked at the Eastern Power Boat Club in the 1300 block of Water Street Southeast. The first call came in a few minutes after 2:30 p.m. Wilson said that as of the 3:30 p.m., the fires were largely out but that the boats had been towed away from the marina to douse remaining embers and ensure the fire didn’t spread. Wilson did not immediately know the type of boats that burned or the cause of the fires. No injuries were reported. Read full story here.

Fire damages sailboat on Thea Foss Waterway 2-17-2014 – Tacoma, WA A 30-foot-long sailboat was damaged by fire Monday at the Thea Foss Waterway in Tacoma. No one was injured. The cause of the fire is under investigation, the Tacoma Fire Department reported. The fire at Delin Docks was contained to the one boat. The damage was to the inside of the boat’s cabin. The vessel was not occupied at the time of the fire. Battalion Chief Jim Zuluaga described the boat as “fully involved” with fire around 1:30 p.m. Monday. Firefighters had to put down 700 feet of hose to get to the boat near Johnny’s Dock restaurant, 1900 E. D St. The damage was to the inside of the boat’s cabin. The vessel was not occupied at the time of the fire. Zuluaga said he didn’t have a damage estimate or know who is the boat’s owner. Read full story here. 

Large waves cause boat to sink at Kirkland marina 2-12-14 - Lake Washington, WA One boat owner is likely to be extremely upset after learning his or her boat sank in Lake Washington today.  Zachary Zerby, owner of the Undersea Mechanical Company in Kirkland, notified the city and assisted the main salvage contractor, Jon Dunato with Dunato’s Towing and Salvage to get the boat out of Lake Washington at the Kirkland marina.  “This is how all these boats sink out,” said Zerby, adding that there were 3-feet tall waves last night. “They all park the wrong way with the back facing out.”  Zerby estimated the approximately 26-feet-long boat, which is registered in Oregon, is totaled.  “It’s all ripped apart,” he said, clarifying that the windows and seats were ripped off. “That type of stuff costs more than engines and transmissions.”  Read full story here.

Coast Guard: 67-foot boat runs aground off Everett 2-15-14 - Everett, WA A 67-foot, wooden pleasure boat ran aground near the Everett Marina after its operator miscalculated its position, the Coast Guard said Saturday.  The Cape Caution, built in 1939, ran aground in shallow water about 500 feet offshore Friday night. The operator of the vessel managed to get safely to land in a dinghy, but the boat began to list and then was declared to have sunk as the tide came in at about 4 a.m. Saturday.  The Coast Guard responded to help ensure any pollution from the incident was contained, and state Department of Ecology officials were also monitoring the response. An estimated 100 gallons of diesel was on board, but no spill was immediately reported and Global Diving and Salvage of Seattle surrounded the vessel with boom.  The operator reported that he miscalculated the boat's position while entering the Snohomish River.  Global Diving and Salvage workers managed to seal the vents on the vessel to make sure no fuel leaked and were considering whether to try to re-float the vessel, Ecology spokesman Dieter Bohrmann said. A photo posted on the department's Twitter feed showed it continuing to list Saturday, but not fully submerged.  "The fuel tank appears to be intact," he said. "That's the good news." Read full story here.