A BOAT IN TROUBLE, A MAYDAY CALL AND WHAT HAPPENS AFTER THAT.Byline: JEREMY BAGOTT Latitude 34 When the wave crashed over the stern and swamped their 18-foot boat, they were probably in big trouble. When another wave turned the vessel side-to and capsized it, they definitely were. One could argue the center-console was too small to be out at the Channel Islands, though boats that size routinely cross the Santa Barbara Channel The Santa Barbara Channel is that part of the Pacific Ocean which separates the mainland of California from the northern Channel Islands. It is generally south of the city of Santa Barbara, and west of the city of Ventura. from the mainland. Others could argue the skipper and his father should have been paying better attention to the breakers and less to the big perch they were catching at Smuggler's Cove, on the east end of Santa Cruz Island San·ta Cruz Island An island off southern California in the northern Santa Barbara Islands. , southwest of San Pedro Point. But this isn't an advisory on small craft. This is an anatomy of a rescue, a rescue that took place on a sunny Saturday in September with 2-foot seas and 6-mile visibility. If any rescue was typical, this would be it. But none ever is. ``You think it's gonna be simple,'' said one rescuer, ``but when you get there, there's always some unexpected element.'' The following has been pieced together from the Coast Guard's situation report and accounts of the rescuers: The skipper of the sailboat Tin Cup Tin Cup is a 1996 romantic comedy starring Kevin Costner and Rene Russo, with major supporting roles by Cheech Marin and Don Johnson. Synopsis The storyline focuses on the relationship that develops between two entirely opposite personalities. watched a small boat capsize in the surf off Smuggler's Cove. At 11:11 a.m., he called a mayday on Channel 16, the emergency frequency for marine radios, reporting he was unable to recover the men without putting his own boat in jeopardy. The call was received by the Group Operations Center The facility or location on an installation, base, or facility used by the commander to command, control, and coordinate all crisis activities. See also base defense operations center; command center. at Coast Guard Station Long Beach, where five specially trained petty officers coordinate rescues from Morro Bay to San Clemente San Clemente (săn klĭmĕn`tē), city (1990 pop. 41,100), Orange co., S Calif., on the Pacific coast; inc. 1928. Camp Pendleton, a large U.S. marine base, adjoins the city, which is chiefly residential. and out to 200 nautical miles. At least two officials man the room at all times. The operations center has considerable assets at its disposal - four cutters that can be under way within an hour, dozens of smaller rescue boats that can slip their moorings in less than 15 minutes and three helicopters with rescue swimmers ] produced by Tam Communications, working in association with the Discovery Channel. Along with covering the history and the demanding training rescue swimmers must complete, the specials also feature dramatic on-scene footage of several heroic rescues. aboard that can be airborne within 20 minutes. Sundry vessels and aircraft are available from other sources, including the Navy. At Long Beach, Petty Officer 1st class
Petty Officer 1st Class or PO1 is a Naval non-commissioned member rank of the Canadian Forces. John Hurst and his communications specialist, Petty Officer 3rd class Francisco Lopez, were on watch the day the small craft capsized. Maintaining communication with the Tin Cup, Hurst ordered the Coast Guard Channel Islands' 41-foot utility boat and its crew of four under way. It was 11:12 a.m. To understand the dynamics of a rescue off the Channel Islands, it is important to understand that all major operations are coordinated by Long Beach, even if a mayday is called a half-mile from a subordinate Coast Guard station. When a call is logged in, the search-and-rescue controller assigns it a priority status - ``distress,'' ``alert'' or ``uncertainty.'' Anything life-threatening - when boaters are reported in the sea, as in this call - would automatically be a ``distress'' situation. At 11:15 a.m., a Coast Guard Air Station Los Angeles Los Angeles (lôs ăn`jələs, lŏs, ăn`jəlēz'), city (1990 pop. 3,485,398), seat of Los Angeles co., S Calif.; inc. 1850. helicopter was ordered airborne. Two minutes later, confirmation was received that Coast Guard Channel Islands had diverted its 41-footer from a training mission and was heading to the scene. At 11:18 a.m., an urgent marine information broadcast was issued requesting details from other vessels near enough to the capsized boat to see what was going on. Meanwhile, at 1,000 feet above the Anacapa Passage, Coast Guard Auxiliary pilot Ken Coddington of Thousand Oaks Thousand Oaks, residential city (1990 pop. 104,352), Ventura co., S Calif., in a farm area; inc. 1964. Avocados, citrus, vegetables, strawberries, and nursery products are grown. was on routine patrol in his 1947 Navion L-17A when he heard the mayday. He diverted to the scene and was there within seconds, dropping down to 500 feet and circling. He spotted the capsized boat and the men in the surf, then reported weather and water conditions back to Long Beach for the benefit of the inbound helicopter. With Coddington's data, Hurst instructed Tin Cup's skipper to have the men swim to the beach. Lopez telephoned Channel Islands National Park's dispatch operator and requested a ranger respond to the beach at Smuggler's Cove. At some point in the rescue, the Tin Cup's skipper had launched a dinghy and tried to get to the men in the water. It was uncertain whether the men were injured or in shock. They were reported to have no life vests. Park Ranger A park ranger is a person charged with protecting and preserving protected parklands, forests (then called a forest ranger), wilderness areas, as well as other natural resources and protected cultural resources. Darcy MacDonald was on her fourth day of a seven-day tour at Scorpion scorpion, any arachnid of the order Scorpionida with a hollow poisonous stinger at the tip of the tail. Scorpions vary from about 1/2 in. to about 6 in. (1–15 cm) long; most are from 1 to 3 in. (2.5–7.6 cm) long. Ranch on Santa Cruz Island. At her disposal is a 3,000-pound inflatable boat An inflatable boat is a lightweight boat constructed with its sides and bow made of flexible tubes containing pressurised gas. For smaller boats, the floor and hull beneath it is often flexible. and an all-terrain vehicle all-ter·rain vehicle n. Abbr. ATV A small, open motor vehicle having one seat and three or more wheels fitted with large tires. It is designed chiefly for recreational use over roadless, rugged terrain. . She took the call on the Park Service's own radio frequency. MacDonald responded, grabbing her rescue kit containing a wet suit, fins, a rescue ring and a rope bag. She opted to travel the 3-1/2 miles overland by ATV (1) (Advanced TV) An early name for the digital TV standard proposed by the Advisory Committee on Advanced Television Service (ACATS). See ACATS. See also ATV Forum. (2) (Analog TV) Refers to the NTSC, PAL and SECAM analog TV standads. , figuring it would be faster; had it been anywhere other than Smuggler's Cove, she would have taken the boat. ``When I got there, I saw their boat in the surf and two guys in waist-deep water trying to flip it over,'' MacDonald said. ``I rode over to them. They were fine. The helicopter was hovering overhead.'' At 11:24 a.m., the Tin Cup reported to the Coast Guard that the men were safely on the beach. At 500 feet, Coddington reported the arrival of the ranger and was instructed to stand down. Twenty-two minutes into the rescue, MacDonald confirmed to Coast Guard Long Beach the two men were on the beach, uninjured. She assumed responsibility for the men's welfare. ``It was a man and his father. They were glad to see me and showed no signs of shock or hypothermia hypothermia Abnormally low body temperature, with slowing of physiological activity. It is artificially induced (usually with ice baths) for certain surgical procedures and cancer treatments. ,'' she said. ``It was an unusually warm day, so hypothermia was not a big concern.'' Dave Kinder, a park maintenance worker, arrived in a second ATV. He produced dry jackets for the fishermen. McDonald, as she is trained to do, evaluated the men's condition and determined the best and safest way to get them off the island. The Coast Guard determined its job was done at 12:35 p.m., and the Channel Islands unit's utility vessel departed the scene and resumed training. Vessel Assist, a marine-salvage outfit, was hailed to right the anglers' craft. At 3:32 p.m., the rescued boaters were en route to Channel Islands Harbor with their boat under tow; by 6:00 p.m. they were reported safely moored. For the rescued, the day won't soon be forgotten. For the rescuers, it was a day like any other. CAPTION(S): 3 Photos, Map Photo: (1--Color) no caption (U.S. COAST GUARD helicopter) Photo illustration by Traci A. Wooden/Daily News (2--Color) From top, U.S. Coast Guard reserves Eric Beach, Greg Becker and boatswain's mate an assistant of the boatswain. - Totten. See also: Boatswain Damien Hernandez man the 41-foot utility vessel at the Coast Guard Station Channel Islands in Oxnard. Tina Gerson/Daily News (3--Color) Channel Islands ranger Darcy MacDonald was the first to reach the men from the capsized boat. Jeremy Bagott/Daily News Map: (Color) Santa Cruz Island - SANTA BARBARA CHANNEL - Anacapa Island Anacapa Island is a small volcanic island located about 14 miles (23 km) off the coast of Ventura, California, in Ventura County. Anacapa is part of the Channel Islands archipelago (island chain), and is part of the Channel Islands National Park. - SAN PEDRO POINT - SMUGGLER'S COVE |
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