2 Boaters Rescued By Coast Guard Near Ocean City

Photo/ U.S. Coast Guard

BALTIMORE — The Coast Guard rescued two boaters from a capsized sailboat Monday in the St. Martin River near Ocean City.

A good Samaritan noticed an overturned sailboat and called Coast Guard Station Ocean City watchstanders at approximately 12:30 p.m. to make a report.

A boatcrew aboard a 24-foot Special Purpose Craft was launched and arrived on scene within approximately 15 minutes of the notification.

“When we first got close enough to see the sailboat, we noticed the mast raising and falling in and out of the water,” said Petty Officer 1st Class William King, the coxswain aboard the SPC. “We saw one boater trying to right the boat, but each time he tried the sail would catch the wind causing the hull to come back down on him.”

The crew first rescued one boater who had drifted from the boat and then returned to pull the second off the sailboat.

“It was a good thing for both the boaters that we were able to respond as quickly as we did,” said King. “The environmental conditions were a bit beyond the capability of the boaters, putting them in harms way. When we arrived on scene we noticed the second boater had drifted approximately 25 yards from the overturned boat. The best decision the boaters made was to wear their life jackets. Accidents such as this one happen in a split second, rarely giving boaters the time to don their life jackets. If during an accident a boater is knocked unconscious, or like in this case is separated from their boat, a life jacket greatly increases their risk of survival.”

The Coast Guard crew transferred both boaters to the Ocean Pines Marina where Ocean City Fire Department EMS checked the boaters for injuries.

No injuries were reported.

Submitted:

Coast Guard Rescues Man, Dog From Disabled Sailboat

Photo/Coast Guard

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The Coast Guard rescued a man and his dog Wednesday after his sailboat became disabled in the northwest branch of the Back River approximately half a mile northwest of the Bell Isle Marina in Hampton.

The 41-foot sailboat was disabled, adrift and dragging its anchor.

Towboat U.S. notified Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads watchstanders of the disabled sailboat at 10:15 p.m. Monday. Towboat U.S. reported that due to weather conditions, they could not safely approach the sailboat and requested additional assistance from Sector Hampton Roads.

Sector watchstanders dispatched a crew aboard a 45-foot Response Boat - Medium from Coast Guard Station Cape Charles and the Poquoson Fire Department aboard Fire Boat 1 also responded to assist.

Once on scene, the Coast Guard crew transferred the man and his dog from the 41-foot sailboat to their boat at approximately 2:00 a.m. Tuesday and took them to the Langley Air Force Base marina.

"This is a great example of how the Coast Guard and our partner agencies work together to assist mariners in need," said Capt. John Little, the captain of the Port of Hampton Roads. "Partnership and team building are some of the primary objectives we're building upon this week at our search and rescue forum in Hampton."

There are no reports of injuries and Towboat U.S. is scheduled to salvage the sailboat.

Coast Guard Medivacs Ailing Fisherman

The Coast Guard assisted with a medevac of a man who was reported as being unconscious aboard a fishing vessel approximately 3 miles east of Wachapreague, Va., Tuesday.

A crewmember aboard the fishing vessel John S. Dempster Jr. called Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads watchstanders at approximately 5 a.m., stating that a crewmember had passed out during breakfast.


Crewmembers from Coast Guard Station Wachapreague, Va., launched with local EMS aboard and transferred the man aboard to transport him to waiting EMS at the station.


The man was transported from station Wachapreague to Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital in Nassawadox, Va.

Source;  shoredailynews.com

New Law In Effect For Personal Watercraft

If you own a personal watercraft such as a jet ski or wave runner, and you're under 50 a new law that went into effect July 1 says you need a state license. Between 6 and 8 hours is required to take the course.

The new law replaces one that required the license for all boaters under the age of 35.

Contact the local Coast Guard Auxiliary for information on how to take the course.

Source; shoredailynews.com

Two Men Rescued Near Hog Island By Coast Guard

The Coast Guard rescued two men from a sail boat Monday morning after they ran aground near Hog Island.

The Coast Guard received a call at approximately 8 p.m. Sunday from a crewmember aboard the sailing vessel Poco Plus Five reporting that the vessel was aground and taking on water.

A Coast Guard Station Wachapreague rescue boat crew responded and arrived on scene within half an hour. The rescue boat crew could not get within a quarter mile of the sailing vessel because of surf conditions.

An HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., arrived on scene and lowered a rescue swimmer who assisted in hoisting the two men.

The men were then transported to Accomack County Airport, Va.
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There were no reports of injuries.


www.shoredailynews.com

Coast Guard Medevacs 1 from Fishing Vessel

The Coast Guard medevaced a 38-year-old male 39 nautical miles south east of Chincoteague Inlet Sunday.

The Coast Guard received a call at 10:21 a.m. from a crewmember aboard the fishing vessel Bay Star Seven reporting a crewmember had been complaining of chest pains and had been collapsing.

A 47-foot Motor Life Boat crew from Station Chincoteague and emergency medical technician were dispatched to the fishing vessel.

An HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C. arrived on scene and transported both the man and the technician to awaiting emergency medical personnel at Sentara Norfolk General Hospital.

www.shoredailynews.com

Oil Skimming Ship Makes Stop In Virginia

I wonder how long it will take for all of this to get through the red tape? Finally a country coming to the United States in he time of great need!! Why didn't anyone think about this a loooong time ago? Surely, someone that deals with oil MUST have some idea of what this ship can possibly do. I don't buy it for a second that they didn't. So much time has been used on the "duh and um" factors.


NORFOLK, Va. — With no assurances it will be allowed to join the Gulf oil cleanup, a Taiwanese-owned ship billed as the world's largest skimming vessel is sailing Friday to the Deepwater Horizon disaster in hopes of gulping down 500,000 barrels a day of oily water.

The ship — the length of 3 1/2 football fields and 10 stories high — is designed to work 40 to 50 miles offshore and collect oily water through 12 vents on either side of its bow. It docked in Norfolk en route to the Gulf from Portugal, where it was retrofitted to skim the seas.

The owners of the "A Whale" said the new skimming approach has never been attempted on this scale.

"We really have to start showing people what we can do," said Bob Grantham, project coordinator for TMT Group, a Taiwan-based shipping company. "We're seriously looking at whether we can go on site and just try to do it ourselves. That's not a good solution. We need to work with everyone else."

The company is still negotiating with the Coast Guard to join the cleanup and does not have a contract with BP to perform the work. The company also needs environmental approval and waiver of a nearly century-old law aimed at protecting U.S. shipping interests.

Environmental Protection Agency approval is required because some of the seawater returned to the Gulf would have traces of oil.

The company said it also needs a waiver of the 1920 Jones Act, which limits the activities of foreign-flagged ships in coastal U.S. waters.

Grantham said TMT was hopeful it could secure the necessary approvals during the ship's three-day passage to the Gulf. The Liberian-flagged ship was to leave Norfolk later Friday.

The converted oil tanker has the capacity of holding 2 million barrels, but would limit its holding tanks to 1 million barrels for environmental reasons. Oil skimmed up by the tanker would be separated from seawater, then transferred to another vessel.

"I believe this spill is unprecedented and you need an unprecedented solution," said T.K. Ong, senior vice president for TMT.

The effort received the endorsement of at least one Louisiana resident.

Edward Overton, a professor emeritus from Louisiana State University, was among the visitors at the port where the A Whale was berthed. He called the current cleanup inadequate.

"We need this ship," he told TMT executives. "That oil is already contaminating our shoreline."

www.chron.com

photos- Daily Press

Sick Whale Euthanized Off Coast Of North Carolina

HATTERAS, N.C. (WAVY) - A Coast Guard boat crew responded to reports of a stranded whale off Hatteras Inlet, N.C., Saturday afternoon.

The whale was identified as a 20 to 30-foot humpback whale.

A Coast Guard boat crew from Hatteras Inlet transported members from National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, the Virginia Aquarium, University of North Carolina at Wilmington, and veterinarians from North Carolina State University to administer aid to the whale.

Veterinarians determined that whale had to be euthanized. It will be taken to a location off Hatteras Inlet on Monday.

http://www.wavy.com/

Here are some facts we may have forgotten about this type of whale:

Humpback whales are known for their magical songs, which travel for great distances through the world's oceans. These sequences of moans, howls, cries, and other noises are quite complex and often continue for hours on end. Scientists are studying these sounds to decipher their meaning. It is most likely that humpbacks sing to communicate with others and to attract potential mates.

These whales are found near coastlines, feeding on tiny shrimp-like krill, plankton, and small fish. Humpbacks migrate annually from summer feeding grounds near the poles to warmer winter breeding waters closer to the Equator. Mothers and their young swim close together, often touching one another with their flippers with what appear to be gestures of affection. Females nurse their calves for almost a year, though it takes far longer than that for a humpback whale to reach full adulthood. Calves do not stop growing until they are ten years old.

Humpbacks are powerful swimmers, and they use their massive tail fin, called a fluke, to propel themselves through the water and sometimes completely out of it. These whales, like others, regularly leap from the water, landing with a tremendous splash. Scientists aren't sure if this breaching behavior serves some purpose, such as cleaning pests from the whale's skin, or whether whales simply do it for fun.

They can weight up to 40 tons and grow the size comparable to a bus. Status is endangered.

www.nationalgeographic.com

Checkpoints At Chesapeake Bay Bridge-Tunnel Toll Plazas

The Visible Intermodal Prevention and Response operation, called VIPR, has officers pulling randomly selected vehicles out of line and checking them for anything unusual, said Tom Anderson, the bridge-tunnel’s deputy director.

The goal of the event, a repeat of an operation held in the fall, is to increase safety, prevent terrorism and “act as a method of deterrence,” Anderson said.

The checkpoints are coordinated by the Transportation Security Administration and include the FBI, U.S. Immigration and Customs Enforcement, the Coast Guard, Naval Criminal Investigative Service, Norfolk and Virginia Beach police and Northampton County Sheriff’s Office, Anderson said. Police dogs also are being used to check vehicles.

The checkpoints began early this morning and will continue through the day, Anderson said.

www.hamptonroads.com

Smith Island school boat captain arrested for drunken boating

A captain of the Smith Island school boat was charged with operating his boat under the influence of alcohol while he was transporting schoolchildren.

Alan Wade Tyler, 49, was arrested Wednesday after the Coast Guard boarded and then detained his 60-foot boat, the Chelsea Lane Tyler, in Tylerton until Maryland Natural Resources Police arrived.

The five children on board were transported home to Ewell by NRP officers, said Sgt. Art Windemuth, an NRP spokesman.

Tyler was charged with operating a vessel under the influence of alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by alcohol, operating a vessel while impaired by any drug or combination of drugs and alcohol and negligent operation of a vessel.

The Coast Guard has temporarily suspended his license and will initiate administrative proceedings against him, according to a spokesman for the agency.

Tyler, along with his father, Alan Tyler Sr., share the responsibility of transporting island children to and from Crisfield High School each day.

Alan Tyler Sr. is the owner of the boat and has a contract with the Somerset County Board of Education, similar to contracts the school system has with bus drivers.

Superintendent Karen-Lee Brofee said she did not learn of the incident until about 24 hours later, and still did not know all the details except that the island children did not miss school Thursday.

"There was no break in service," she said. "The children will still get to school safely."

Read More @ DelmarvaNow.com

Two Rescued Near Chincoteague Drawbridge

CHINCOTEAGUE, Va. - The Coast Guard along with local emergency medical service personnel rescue two people in the water under Chincoteague Swing Bridge late Friday night.

Coast Guard watchstanders at Sector Hampton Roads received a report at 10:55 p.m., from Chincoteague police dispatch of a person in the water near the swing bridge.

A rescue boat crew from Station Chincoteague was dispatched to the scene and recovered an unconscious 29-year-old female while EMS personnel recovered an uninjured male out of the water. The female was transfered to awaiting EMS personnel near the and transported her to Peninsula Regional Medical Hospital in Salisbury, Md., where she was revived and then transported to Johns Hopkins University Hospital in Baltimore for further evaluation.

The two were under the bridge fishing when the incident occurred.

http://www.coastguardnews.com/