Beating against a lee shore at night in a gale.

Red dot indicates the Bayliner's location.



















GPS tracks from last night



















The 4788 Bayliner at Shipyard Cove this morning

Earning our keep:

Just returned from a five hour run to Snoring Bay at Sucia Island (about 50 yards wide.) A 48' Bayliner thought it was too rough to stay on a mooring when he decided to move. At that point things went south in this very small anchorage.

With two hours of daylight left, he decided to run for cover in the lee of Orcas Island, then his boat got sideways in the anchorage. Panic set in and he maneuvered the controls in the wrong direction, then the engines stopped. At that point he was backed into the corner of the anchorage, grounded and in trouble.

Capt. Deb Fritz, (former Zenith student of mine) in "Salvation" and I responded made the push through 3' seas in 45 minutes. The anchorage is so small and the conditions were so rough (35-40kts) that turning the rescue boat was a chore.

We quickly surmised that we'd put Deb's boat on a buoy, and have her work as my deck hand. She did a masterful job in securing the tow line and calming the owner. Once we had the boat off the wall, Deb took his dingy back to "Salvation" and follow us to Friday Harbor with the dink in tow.

We repeated the process when we arrived back in Friday Harbor at 01:20. She docked "Salvation," and brought the dink back to the Bayliner to assist with lines and help guide me in to the dock. Her partner Andrew met us and handled lines on the dock.

While he is a Vessel Assist Member, this case is an insurance claim.

Once again we could have claimed salvage for saving the boat, but did not. We did charge fees for working at night, against a rocky lee shore in gale force winds with a large vessel.

And so it goes.

BitterEnd Traffic

Click on image to enlarge

Dot sizes: = 1,000+ = 100 - 999 = 10 - 99 = 1 - 9 visits

15 Jan 2009 to 12 Jul 2009: 61,793 visits shown above

Statistics updated 12 Jul 2009@06:03GMT: 61,998 visits
Count is updated every 24 hours, but map updates are deliberately different, as explained in Notes and FAQ.

Total since 14 Jan 2008: 186,141

Kinda Snotty

This 28' Newport lost its transmission at Stuart Island. Through a miscommunication of GPS coordinates it took an extra hour to locate them. The lat/long on their hand held (which I saw) showed them on the other side of the island. Just wondering which Datum they were using?

We're make way (slowly) to Friday Harbor in a 3' chop.

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Most Recognized Captains

USCGC Terrapin (87')

On station off Turn Island State Park this afternoon.

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30' Islander Disabled & Sound Watch Experience

This Islander with three folks aboard lost power and wind off the West side of San Juan Island. We have her in tow for Friday Harbor.

This afternoon I had an issue with the good folks at Sound Watch (a group of mostly volunteers) who sometimes get a little over zealous in protecting and educating people about Orcas.

Sound Watch called me on the vhf and Vessel Assist Center, from California, answered up. SW then proceeded to tell Center that I'd just run over a pod of whales (not so.) In fact I was running off shore 90 degrees from the whales.

I called Sound Watch on the radio to get their cell. They agreed that I'd not erred. To set the record straight I asked that they call Center back tell them what occurred. They asked for the phone # and I requested they make the call via radio so all who had been listening would know the scoop.

Thanks Sound Watch for making the correction.

Mistakes in any business or organization will happen. How folks respond is the test of character.

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Another 28' Bayliner

This 28'er was having starting/electrical issues this morning at Blakely Island. We're enroute to West Sound Marina on Orcas for repairs.

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Meanwhile down the coast in San Diego

Our friends at Vessel Assist San Diego sent along the following:

Vessel Assist raises 56′ yacht after it was dropped off of a delivery ship

What should have been a basic delivery of a brand new yacht on Saturday turned into a wild experience and a wreck removal from the depths of San Diego Bay. Around 10:30 am on June 27, 2009 the “Vessel Assist Shelter Island” was on its way to the 10th Ave Terminal to pick up a crew from the pier and deliver them to a new yacht that was just shipped in. Robert Butler, President of Vessel Assist San Diego, received a call from the delivery crew saying that the yacht was adrift and that they needed to be brought directly to it. Robert immediately called Captain Eric Lamb and informed him that the boat was let loose before the delivery crew could get on board. The yacht, valued in excess of 1.5 million dollars, was adrift as the incoming tide was pushing it toward the Coronado Bridge.

You can read the balance of the post HERE.

Polar Endeavour

At anchor off Anacortes. We are enroute to La Conner with the tow below.

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Good Sam underway this afternoon off Upright Head

What's wrong with this picture?

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Water in the Engine

This 29' ACB was spitting water through the cylinders of her Evenrude. We're enroute to La Conner.

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Doing the right thing

Sometimes you've just got to bite your lip. This morning a call came in from Dispatch on the East Coast - a member with a fouled prop at Neah Bay (80 miles from here) called for a diver.

While Vessel Assist approved the run and a diver (probably 11-12 hours round trip,) I suggested a local diver could get the job done in a more timely basis.

Twenty four years of work with the Boy Scouts of America inculcated a standard of ethics that is important.

Even with the number of call being down a bit, due to the economy, I know that folks remember us for making the right call.

Email: Are Bayliners Bad?

Hi Richard;

I met you briefly last year at Rocky Bay Cafe and got my prized BE cap. This year I am in the market for a boat suitable for my family (wife and three young kids) that would sleep all of us for a night or two.  This would be our first boat.

From your blog I am leery of Bayliners, but then again I know several owners that sing their praises.  Since there are SO many Bayliners out there, I wonder if it is a matter of numbers -  i.e., there is a large population of Bayliners and therefore owners and a wide spectrum of experience and/or abilities. 

I would appreciate your thoughts on this at your convenience.

Best regards,

Travis A

 

------------------------

Hi Travis,

Indeed it is sheer volume.  There are also a number of new owners with Bayliners.

I believe there are several decisions you should make.

How much $ you want to spend.  Don't forget maintenance, insurance, moorage, fuel, and additional equipment.

Decide how you will use the boat and the speed you are comfortable with.

By all means take a boating safety course.  The Power Squadron here does an excellent job.

Some folks will charter a boat for several days to see if it's what they want.

Then go shopping for a boat.

Give me a call, I'd be happy to share a cup of coffee with you.

-Richard

More fuel issues

This 20' Rinell had fuel issues in President's Channel last evening. The case was complicated by the boater reading the position of his cursor and not the position of the boat. That error cost .4 hours of time ($90.)

We ended up pulling him to the ditch on Orcas. A total of 3.25 hours in the job for this non member.

I took the gang back to Beach Haven where they were staying after we secured the boat.

Ran into old buds at the ditch, Capt. (Dr. ) Lew Thomas, and former student Capt. Robin Watson.

Nautical Chart Reprints

From Today's Notice to Mariners

Mariners will have the latest information under a new initiative in navigation chart reprinting. Beginning immediately, NOAA will provide revised
reprints to distribute up-to-date critical information on nautical charts.
A revised reprint nautical chart incorporates all U.S. Coast Guard Local Notice to Mariners (LNM) and all National Geospatial-Intelligence Agency
(NGA) Notice to Mariners (NM) issued since the current edition date. A revised reprint will be published when printed stock of the current edition
is low. In the past, when a chart was running out of stock, NOAA would print more copies of the same chart without applying updates. The
revised reprint will contain all critical corrections applied before the chart is printed. They are similar to the NOAA’s Print on Demand (POD)
charts, but are lithographically printed according to traditional paper chart standards.
Revised reprints offer the convenience and added measure of safety of a chart that is updated at time of purchase. The lower left corner of a
revised reprint nautical chart will contain the edition number of the chart with the edition date, the words “Revised reprint,” along with the dates
of the NGA Notice to Mariners and the U.S. Coast Guard's Local Notice to Mariners available at time of printing.
As with all nautical charts, revised reprints should be updated with all critical corrections issued after the “corrected through” dates.
A listing of upcoming new edition and revised reprint charts published by NOAA is available at nauticalcharts.noaa.gov.

NOAA info is HERE.

Bayliner out of fuel, twice today.

This 28' Bayliner had left Seattle this morning not knowing how much fuel was aboard. She ran out of fuel in the Strait of Juan de Fuca earlier and a Good Sam happened upon her with fuel. I delivered 10 gallons to her in San Juan Channel less than two miles from her destination. Additionally the owner could not figure out his GPS to give me a fix.

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BOATERS URGED TO SPEAK UP ON ETHANOL INCREASE

MESSAGE RELAY FROM THE RECREATIONAL BOATING ASSOCIATION OF WASHINGTON-

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Press Contacts:
Scott Croft, BoatU.S. 703-461-2864, SCroft@BoatUS.com
Christine Pomorski, NMMA, 312-737-9774, CPomorski@NMMA.org

Boaters Urged to Speak Up on Ethanol Increase Before July 20 Deadline

EPA Comment Period on Proposal for E15 Gasoline Closes in Two Weeks

ALEXANDRIA, Va. July 7, 2009 - The idea of the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) allowing the introduction of a fuel that has never been independently tested for use with marine engines has Boat Owners Association of The United States (BoatU.S. and the National Marine Manufacturers Association (www.BoatUS.com/news/reports urging every boater in America to speak out on the issue before the July 20 federal comment period closes.

In March, Growth Energy, a pro-ethanol lobbying organization, and 54 ethanol producers petitioned the EPA to allow an increase in the amount of ethanol in gasoline from 10 percent (E10) to 15 percent (E15). After an initial comment period that drew nearly 30,000 comments from concerned boaters, the marine industry, marina operators and many other boating groups, the agency extended the comment deadline to July 20.

BoatU.S. and the NMMA are concerned because boat engines are not designed, calibrated or certified for use with gasoline containing more than 10 percent ethanol. Recreational boat warranty documents and manufacturers owner's manuals currently advise boaters not to use gasoline containing more than 10 percent ethanol, and therefore, the use of E15 in marine engines could void engine warranties and damage motors and fuel systems.

"This is not about growing renewable energy," says BoatU.S. Vice President of Government Affairs Margaret Podlich. "This is really about a group of investors attempting to profit at the expense of 13 million recreational boat owners. We had significant problems with the nationwide roll-out of E10 a few years ago, and without further independent testing of E15 with marine engines we are very likely to see similar issues." Podlich is referring to the widely known problems with ethanol's ability to attract water into gasoline or "phase separate" which has led to boat engine failures and major repair or replacement costs for boaters. It also degrades fiberglass boat gas tank walls.

If the ethanol lobby's petition is approved it would also affect other gasoline powered products. "There are an estimated 500 million gasoline powered engines in the U.S., from boats and autos to chainsaws, lawn mowers and ATVs, so this issue not only severely impacts the recreational boating industry but many others as well," said NMMA Legislative Director Mathew Dunn. "We have a very simple position on this matter. Science -- not politics -- should ultimately determine EPA's decision on whether to allow the sale of any increased ethanol blend that's more than 10 percent. At present, it is clear there is insufficient scientific and technical data to justify granting the increase, and EPA should therefore deny it outright," he added.

Boaters can go to http://www.BoatUS.com/gov or http://capwiz.com/nmma/home/ before the federally mandated comment period ends on July 20 to learn more and send EPA an email asking them to deny the petition for a waiver for the use of E15 fuel until more testing is done on marine engines and fuel systems.

###

Links to Additional Resources:
1. NMMA Government Affairs Ethanol Information
2. New York Times, May 8, 2009: Ethanol Industry's 15% Solution Raises Concerns
3. New York Times, May 8, 2009: Laboratory Will Not Certify Pumps for Gas with 15% Ethanol
4. Wall Street Journal, April 17, 2009: EPA Considers Higher Ethanol Mix
5. New York Times, March 6, 2009: A Slugfest Over Higher Ethanol Blends

About BoatU.S.:
BoatU.S. - Boat Owners Association of The United States - is the nation's leading advocate for recreational boaters providing its 600,000 members with government representation, programs and money saving services. For membership information visit www.BoatUS.com or call 800-395-2628.

About NMMA:
NMMA is the leading association representing the recreational boating industry. NMMA member companies produce more than 80 percent of the boats, engines, trailers, accessories and gear used by boaters in North America. The association is dedicated to industry growth through programs in public policy advocacy, market statistics and research, product quality assurance and promotion of the boating lifestyle. Visit www.NMMA.org for more information.

Meanwhile, across the pond

MailOnline is reporting:

As he began his daring overtaking manoeuvre, Arthur Manning wondered if he was sailing a little close to the wind.

In fact, he was too close to the rocks. His yacht, the Jersey-registered Knight Star, ended up grounded and then wobbling in mid-air on its 6ft keel as the tide went out near Saint-Quay-Portrieux, north-west France.

The complete MailOnline post by Peter Allen is here.

(Ed. note: Thanks to BE reader Don for the above link.)

Rigs of Rods

What is it?

Rigs of Rods (also known as RoR), is an Open Source truck, car, airplane and boat simulator. You can drive, fly or sail in total freedom in an open environment. What makes RoR different to most simulators is its unique soft-body physics: vehicles chassis and wheels are simulated in real-time as flexible objects, giving the simulation an extremely accurate behavior, while allowing the vehicles to be simply specified by their structural composition, as a network of interconnected nodes (forming the chassis and the wheels). Crashing into walls or terrain can permanently deform a vehicle in a realistic manner. In addition to its unique soft-body physics, RoR also features an advanced flight model based on blade element theory, allowing the accurate simulation of any airplane, base on their physical dimensions and wing airfoils. It also features an accurate buoyancy model based on elemental pressure gradients, enabling boats with complex hulls to move realistically in the swell.

Rigs of Rods is an amateur game developed by Pierre-Michel Ricordel, aka Pricorde, and is a one man hobby development, with a $0 budget, that has started more than two years ago and is still continuing. Recently a second developer, Thomas, has joined the "team". He is also the donator and caretaker of the web sites. A growing community has build up since some time and has contributed many vehicles to the game.

Rigs of Rods page

Adventuress in San Juan Channel

Still Friday Harbor bound @ 13:30. Almost home.

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Lady Washington

Southbound @ 11:10 of Eglon this morning on my return trip to Friday Harbor.

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Not Remedy

Birds of a feather:

This Vessel Assist 26' Shamrock is based at Shilshole Marina in Seattle where last night's tow ended. Former Assistance Towing student and current Zenith Maritime Instructor Capt. Wendell Brunk is her master.

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Off Point No Point

Still enroute to Seattle @ 19:40. The current is now against us. So close, yet so far.

The good news is that I'll stay at Amanda's (my way cool step child) apartment on Lower Queen Ann Hill in Seattle tonight. Guess who's buying breakfast.

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Email from Vessel Adrift Strand

Thank you again for catching my runaway boat, I see the comments on your blog and it's true a "stupid charge" could have been assessed as well. When I went back to the boat I could not find a receipt, the wind probably took it, would it be possible to get a copy? Thanks again. 

G.D.

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The long haul

Picked up this 34' San Juan off Hein Bank at 14:50. We're underway for Shilshole (Seattle) some 55 South. ETA 00:00. They will get me a hotel for the evening, and I'll return tomorrow.

Follow us on SPOT: http://tiny.cc/KbxLq

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Lost Dingy

These folks from Port Townsend lost their dink after leaving the fuel dock. I found the dink tied up to a local charter company dock. 1.5 hours invested.

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OK ESN:0-7385592

SPOT Check OK.
ESN:0-7385592
Latitude:48.5399
Longitude:-123.0099
Nearest Location:not known
Distance:not known
Time:07/07/2009 14:00:25 (US/Pacific)
http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q&hl=en&geocode=&q=48.5399,-123.0099&ll=48.5399,-123.0099&ie=UTF8&z=12&om=1

A Little Help from my Friends

Things are not always as they appear. While it looks like Remedy has Island Transporter on the hip, it just isn't so.

Former students, Capt. Terry Merritt (owner) and Capt. Steve Partridge, will occasionally let me raft to Transporter, when I end up in Anacortes after a long tow.

Thanks guys.