Levitation
Well-known member
- Joined
- Aug 12, 2009
- Messages
- 1,300
- Fluid Motion Model
- C-248 C
- Hull Identification Number
- fmlt2510f809
- Vessel Name
- Charlotte Ann
Today It was windy/gusty and the bay had whitecaps so I obviously chose to cruise upriver - mama didn't raise no masochistic children, that lived....
As we were coming back down river after a nice cruise (Saginaw River, Lake Huron) there was a mayday call to the USCG station for an overturned trimaran off the mouth of the river about 1.5 miles... The captain of the reporting vessel stated, three in the water and partially sitting up on the hull, talking to him, and no injuries... The CG station is right across the river from my marina and this is up the river about three quarters of a mile from the mouth, so they could be on scene in minutes... The boat calling the CG stated he would stay on scene and try to get a line on the trimaran to control the drift as the mast was banging on the bottom as the boat was drifting toward the shallows...
The coastie on the radio (young sounding - but they all do at my age) then started the 64,000 question routine... The captain kept asking him to stand by as they were maneuvering... No way Jose, the federal forms HAVE to be filled out before anything else - how many in the water? (he'd been told on the initial call)... Were there any injured (he'd been told) The BIG one - were they wearing their PFD? (Apparently the ocean will split open and swallow the CG boat if the PFD reg was violated) Are there any children? Do the people in the water have a cell phone? And on, and on, while the captain was trying to assist, until I was swearing at the radio (wife rolling her eyes at me)...
So, even in my dotage I can learn something new... And what I learned today is that if I ever see a vessel needing help and I call the CG for for assistance... After I give them the location and the pertinent information I will tell them that I am turning the radio OFF so I can maneuver and assist without being distracted, and I will call them back WHEN I need them...
Anyway, the trimaran was stabilized, Boats US came out to take the tow and move the trimaran into the lee of the dredged spoils island to stop the hammering on the bottom... And a bit later the trimaran was moved into the deep water of the ships channel and towed up the river (upside down with the mast still on) to the Gougeon Boat Works where they have a crane... Jan was planning to lift the trimaran and turn it over with the crane... He passed me going upriver to the boat works as the tow was underway... The trimaran had a hole on the stern of the port hull - dunno if that happened during the capsize (unlikely, deep water) or it was during the tow (more likely)... The tri looked like a Gougeon design and Jan was on the scene on Adagio, so it may have been a group outing...
As we were coming back down river after a nice cruise (Saginaw River, Lake Huron) there was a mayday call to the USCG station for an overturned trimaran off the mouth of the river about 1.5 miles... The captain of the reporting vessel stated, three in the water and partially sitting up on the hull, talking to him, and no injuries... The CG station is right across the river from my marina and this is up the river about three quarters of a mile from the mouth, so they could be on scene in minutes... The boat calling the CG stated he would stay on scene and try to get a line on the trimaran to control the drift as the mast was banging on the bottom as the boat was drifting toward the shallows...
The coastie on the radio (young sounding - but they all do at my age) then started the 64,000 question routine... The captain kept asking him to stand by as they were maneuvering... No way Jose, the federal forms HAVE to be filled out before anything else - how many in the water? (he'd been told on the initial call)... Were there any injured (he'd been told) The BIG one - were they wearing their PFD? (Apparently the ocean will split open and swallow the CG boat if the PFD reg was violated) Are there any children? Do the people in the water have a cell phone? And on, and on, while the captain was trying to assist, until I was swearing at the radio (wife rolling her eyes at me)...
So, even in my dotage I can learn something new... And what I learned today is that if I ever see a vessel needing help and I call the CG for for assistance... After I give them the location and the pertinent information I will tell them that I am turning the radio OFF so I can maneuver and assist without being distracted, and I will call them back WHEN I need them...
Anyway, the trimaran was stabilized, Boats US came out to take the tow and move the trimaran into the lee of the dredged spoils island to stop the hammering on the bottom... And a bit later the trimaran was moved into the deep water of the ships channel and towed up the river (upside down with the mast still on) to the Gougeon Boat Works where they have a crane... Jan was planning to lift the trimaran and turn it over with the crane... He passed me going upriver to the boat works as the tow was underway... The trimaran had a hole on the stern of the port hull - dunno if that happened during the capsize (unlikely, deep water) or it was during the tow (more likely)... The tri looked like a Gougeon design and Jan was on the scene on Adagio, so it may have been a group outing...