Ship's Log December 26 2019

Disaster in the Harbor

I've been laying pretty low since tuna season. During the clean up and put away of the James Lee, I mentioned around the dock that I would like to back someone up in the wheelhouse. Or take out pots for people, or whatever might come up, as long as it did not mean a commitment to the entire season. There was an elk hunt and some other things planned that did not allow me to take on the responsibility of a full time captain.

I got my chance to help out a friend, and make a few bucks too. Today was the first day of action. We motored downriver on the Umpqua from Reedsport, and crossed out into the ocean for a trip a few hours down south to Charleston. I got a few good pics of the Brandy and Fred Whal Marine with a couple nice boats they have been working on, and a couple pics of the Coast Guard playing in the breakers next to us as we slid by.

This is a special time of year when all the crab boats load pots on their decks and in their fish holds in order to toss them out to sea when the season allows. The load of pots must match the vessel and balance out properly in order to proceed safely. No matter what, the boat will feel a bit “swimmy” through the water, and the captain must be on his or her toes at all times. In rough conditions it is seriously a bit scary, and in flat calm conditions one little thing may lead to a big thing.

Today, for one vessel, a small thing turned into a big thing right in front of the fuel dock in Charleston. Beautiful calm water with very little tidal surge, and no wind. We got parked securely, and went out onto the back deck of the wheelhouse to look around and prepare to leave the vessel. I looked over and saw a fully loaded vessel slowly motoring in the middle of the channel toward our position. I was thinking he was planning to side tie to us, or circle around and lay against the dock easily. But he hit a sand bar. Yup. Sort of rose a bit on the nose. Not such abnormal stuff! I figured he would get embarrassed a bit and then back off or wait on the tide. Not much worry... Not at first.

Things got bad quickly. The push forward to get off the bar resulted in the boat listing heavily starboard. 3 guys scrambled out of the wheel house and ran up ontop of the stacked crab pots. They were hanging on at the upper port side edge created by the list. The captain remained inside to do whatever he might be able to do to correct the situation, but all of a sudden the vessel rolled and lost the crab gear off the side. One guy jumped free and swam to the fuel dock. The captain and the other 2 guys were not to be seen by us, we were watching the bottom of the boat, and the propeller was still spinning wildly with lots of water thrown out behind it. Fairly high RPM.

We got to see a true hero in action!! The grandson of the old man Russel, Curtis Green who now works that fuel dock grabbed a hammer and jumped into the 48 ish degree water and swam like 100 miles an hour to that boat, His dog along side of him, and climbed up and started whacking at the plexi-glass window. It did not work!! He is a quick thinker!! He reached over and grabbed one of the steel stabilizers and mashed through the window, reached down into the water and grabbed the captain by the hair (underwater) and dragged him out. The other 2 crew members came right out next and all lived and that is the happy ending.

Wondering what is next….