Coasties Rescue Five after Boat Runs Aground in Humboldt County
[Image from Rob Nichols]
The Coast Guard rescued five people aboard the 37-foot commercial fishing vessel “Miss Jessie” after it ran aground south of Humboldt Bay near Eureka, California, Friday morning.
Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay watchstanders received the report at 12:02 a.m. via VHF-FM channel 16 from a crew member aboard the fishing vessel, requesting assistance after the vessel became disabled in the surf and ran aground.[Image from the Coast Guard]
Watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast and coordinated the launches of an Air Station Humboldt Bay MH-65 Dolphin helicopter aircrew and a Station Humboldt Bay 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crew.The helicopter aircrew arrived on scene at 1:27 a.m., hoisted all five people off the vessel and transported them to the Samoa Field Airport over two separate trips.The vessel’s fuel tanks have a maximum capacity of 7,000 gallons, and there is an estimated 800 gallons of diesel onboard.[Image from the Coast Guard]
No injuries or pollution have been reported.
[Image from the Coast Guard]
Join the discussion! For rules visit: https://kymkemp.com/commenting-rules
Comments system how-to: https://wpdiscuz.com/community/postid/10599/
“surf”?
I believe the tide was higher before the photos were taken.
Going to be interesting spectacle to get that boat off the beach.
Last bigger fishing vessel to be beached on the spit, they build a levee around the boat on the beach, then bulldozed a road, lifted the boat and took it across the South spit to the bay. I can’t remember the boats name right now (I might remember that in a few hours), but I think I still have photos of the recovery. That would have been mid-1970’s.
Now-a-days… that would be a fantastic no-no. The greenies would be screaming.
For a rational person… that is kinda odd because in a few weeks, the ocean erased the levee and movement of the sand covered the road in a few years.
Few years later, you couldn’t tell where the recovery took place.
—
Oh well.
She’ll float with the next higher tide. Just kedge her out past the breakers and get underway.
Don’t think it’s going to be that easy.
High tide cycles are decreasing now.
Next high tide is Aug 10. A 7.4′ high, it might be enough to get it off. (2pm)
Then there is another month (Sep 11th) a 7.5′ high. (3pm)
Right now the hull is probably buried about 3 to 4′ under the sand, with the prop and rudder further down.
Needs:
Sand berm to protect it and the work around it. This has to happen… now !
2 CATS with cables under the boat. (Move the CATS apart, the boat is lifted.)
Hull lifted up clear of the sand, rollers or logs put under it.
Might need to take the prop and rudder off.
Before the launch it needs to be turned around with the bow pointed out.
Surfer to bring the tow line in.
Needs a good sized tug, and a maybe a CAT (or two) to guide and push.
Then… good luck.
IMHO: Best way is to do what they did on the 1970’s rescue, lift it up and roll it across the spit, and launch it in the bay.
If the agencies sit on their hands… it’s going to become a permanent viewpoint.
Photo of the ‘Launching of the Phuma (sp?). (Dr. Gast’s boat.)
Shows logs used to transport the boat.
What is the story with that boat? Did it go from launch to dock and never do the research it was designed for? Love the crane and the superstructure. Doesn’t she have a mast?
Yup. It has a mast now an (Aluminum Light Pole). Sails were built my a local McKinleyville sailmaker. Boat and sails are now badly deteriorated.
Hull was designed with a flat bottom. Drew only a couple feet of water.
Had a rudder and prop that could be lowered and lifted up, to allow it to go over Coral Reefs and mudflats… (I saw that at the launching).
Small 90 hp diesel engine that drove the propeller hydraulically.
IMHO Stuff: What happened ?
I heard secondhand that the owners were going to take the boat down to Fields Landing. (North Bay down to South Bay.) Contracted with an outfit that was going to re-paint the bottom.
To get down there… they had to cross the inside of the Humboldt Bay bar entrance. On that day, there were big westerly swells sweeping through the bar coming all they way to the inside of the bay. At that point the swells hit the bottom… and really build.
(That transit can be a bit nasty if you haven’t seen it.)
Any rate… the Puma nearly rolled over… on the inside of the bay.
They took the boat back to the Woodley Island Marina… tied it up.
It has never moved in the last 30 (+-) years.
I dunno what’s going to happen to it in the future.
Somebody’s going to need to deal with it.
Phuma goes in the water. (Newby Construction.)
Bit of a struggle but they finally pushed it in with the excavator.
Not so sure about ‘fantastic no-no” from the “greenies.” Did anybody ask? Hell, no; assume the worst ‘cause it supports your bias. Nobody wants to see the boat break-up and pollute the ocean with diesel fuel and debris, plus economic loss to the owner(s). Yeah, those horrible “greenie” surfers complaining about sewage outfall in the OCEAN, you know, where the FISH live. And this BS about restoring salmon runs on the Klamath, yeah,YEAH, stupid Tribes and their “greenie” allies! On and on, man. Trump’s gonna fix it.
Unfortunately for the skipper the tides were pretty high (7.5) early this am, scooting him up the shore, the tides are not going to be so high for a while. Might need a dozer to help the tugs pull it back out to sea. Skipper got lucky, soft sandy beach but if there is a buried prop under that keel, that will be nightmare.
I agree Dan. It won’t be an easy job, but hopefully they can pull it off with a tug or two. I was wondering if a dozer can work on that soft sand. I am not sure if she is a single or twin- screw vessel. Maybe a backhoe could dig some of the sand away from the prop(s) and make her easier to move. Thankfully there were no injuries, and once again or great men and women of the Coast Guard lifted the crew to safety. Those choppers are a beautiful sight when you need help. The skipper can tell everyone he was fishing for “Sand Dabs.”
Was there on the 1970’s rescue. CAT, Backhoes (now excavators), lots of cables, logs and timbers.
It was basically a replay of the original Mercer-Fraser rescue of the submarine… but more modern equipment.
Photo is of smaller boat that ran aground. Now buried deep in the sand.
Could they cut the shafts, and then weld them after lifting the boat?
Prop usually un-bolts from the prop shaft.
If they do have to cut it… replacement propeller shafts… are a small chunk of the recovery costs.
Hey! You can’t park there!
Tweakers walked up my gated road, crawled under my truck, cut my fuel filler line and took 30 gallons of gasoline, that 800 gallons of diesel will bring them out of the bushes.
800 gallons of diesel at 7.1 lbs per gallon equals 5680 lbs OR 2.84 tons.
Seems it would be a plus to remove the weight before the tug-cataroo.
What’s in the hold? Iced up rock fish I hope, that will bring them out of the bushes.
Did they assist them by offering a hand as the crew jumped onto the sand? 😉
The crew did not jump off the vessel. The Coast Guard lifted them up and went to a safe landing zone in Samoa. They are all ok.
Thank you bozo. I remember that boat that got buried. I was young and played on it a few times before the sand swallowed it.
Yup… there is a 1957 Chevy hot rod… buried up on Clam Beach.
Guy was doing burn-outs. (Back when you could drive on the beach).
Spun the rear wheels in… got stuck.
Tide came in.
Next morning, it was up to the frame.
Couple days later, up to the windows.
A week later, only the top showed.
Then… it was gone.
They were going to try last night at high tide. Has anyone gone to see if it is still there today?? Salvage team worked all day yesterday to prepare.