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Capt Lou's Nautical News 5/23/10
Posted on: Mon 24-May-2010
| | 19% of Gulf Closed to Fishing
It has been a month since the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig exploded and collapsed, killing 11 of its crew. Millions of gallons of crude oil have now gushed into the Gulf of Mexico. Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, the man in charge of the clean up of the spill, said oil is spreading toward Florida's Key West and approaching the loop current, a powerful warm-water current that could drag the oil around Florida and into the Gulf Stream that flows up the Atlantic coast. Allen said the approximately 20,000 people were working to prevent the spill from reaching land. The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration said an area of nearly 46,000 square miles, or about 19 percent of federal waters in the Gulf, is now closed to fishing. The people who rely on the water to make their living knew it would be bad, but not this bad. Officials and scientists said testing of seafood might be necessary for decades to come. It is not just fishermen that have been affected. Charter boat captains, tourists, boat dealers, and marinas have all suffered serious economic harm.
Midnight Joyride Injures 3 and Kills 2
Two Massachusetts women, both 23 years old, were killed when a "midnight joyride" turned tragic off the coast of an island named Despair in Rhode Island's Narragansett Bay. Three others, two men and a woman also in their 20s, were injured but survived the boat crash. Apparently, two of the men on board the 22 foot boat had access to the boat because they had worked on it as mechanics. Unfortunately, they had little boating experience, especially operating a boat at night. They took the boat and the young women out at midnight without the boat owner's knowledge and about an hour later ran the boat up on to the jetty's rocks. Autopsies revealed cause of deaths were from blunt trauma to the victims' heads. Investigators are still trying to determine if alcohol was involved.
Quincy Mayor Wants to Eliminate Harbormaster Department
According to a published newspaper report, the Mayor in the City of Quincy has blamed cuts in the budget for his decision to eliminate the city's harbormaster department. It was reported that Harbormaster Patrick Morrissey and his 12 volunteer assistant harbormasters were all relieved of their duties. Morrissey had served the past 5 years as the city's harbormaster and some of his assistants have been volunteering for as many as 35 years. Police Chief Paul Keenan said that he and his marine units will takeover the duties of patrolling and policing the city's 72 miles of coastline. However, the harbormaster said there is more to his job than just policing the city's waterways. He spoke of the large ships, tankers, tugs, and commuter boats that come and go in the city as well as the recreational boats. The moorings and boat ramps that must be managed and maintained. The community waterfront events. There is a lot more to do than just police work.
Coast Guard Rescues Boston Tour Boat
A Boston harbor amphibious tour boat with 33 people on board lost its steering due to a mechanical problem. The Coast Guard was called to the rescue by a worker on a nearby pier worker who noticed the vessel operated by Super Duck Tours in trouble. The Coast Guard towed the boat to the pier where everyone on board was safely transferred to another vehicle operated by the same company. The Coast Guard said the disabled vessel passed a safety inspection last March and will not be allowed back into service until the mechanical problems are corrected and it passes another Coast Guard inspection. A Coast Guard officer said, "We will work closely with the tour boat company to find out why this happened and make sure the boat is safe before it is allowed back into service."
Florida Shrimp Fishermen Now In A Big Hurry
A lot of fishermen in Southwest Florida are heading out to catch shrimp as fast as they can before oil reaches their fishing grounds. The Coast Guard said that the threat of oil, paired with the upcoming Memorial Day holiday, means there will be high numbers of boaters in the Gulf.
North American Safe Boating Week
This week is North American Safe Boating Week which is sponsored by the North American Safe Boating Campaign, an annual campaign to raise awareness that wearing life jackets saves lives. The campaign also stresses boating education and boating sober. Unfortunately, Coast Guard statistics just released showed that twenty-one recreational boaters and paddlers in the Northeast died in boating accidents this year, the highest recorded number so far. More than half of those twenty-one fatalities were kayakers and canoeists.
Coasties Become SEALs
Two Coast Guard officers have earned their tridents as they became the first in their service to become the equivalent of navy SEALs. Another three coasties are still in training. The first two are the first uniformed personnel ever assigned to an operational SEAL team while a member of another branch of the U.S. Armed Forces. Because they will be in the special forces, their names and locations were not released. The trident, a three pronged fork, is part of the insignia that a SEAL wears.
Fuel Spill In New Bedford Harbor
And last on today's nautical news, 50 gallons of spilled diesel fuel in New Bedford and Fairhaven harbors is nothing compared to the oil spilled in the Gulf, but it caused a lot of commotion yesterday. Personnel from the state's DEP and Division of Marine Fisheries along with police, firemen, harbormasters, and the Coast Guard were all on scene with an environmental clean up company, identifying the source of the leak. Coast Guard Spokeswoman Lauren Jorgensen said that the spill had been traced back to a fishing boat's generator. The fuel is expected to be all cleaned up by the end of today.
Listen to the live broadcast of "Nautical Talk Radio" with Capt Lou and crew, Sunday mornings from 11 - 12 noon (Boston time) on radio station 95.9FM WATD, Marshfield, and streaming around the world on www.959watd.com. You can also listen to a replay of the most recent show anytime during the week at www.nauticaltalk.com.
* Winner of Mass/Rhode Island Associated Press "BEST TALK SHOW"
* Recipient of Coast Guard's Joshua James Lifesaving Medal for public service
* Recipient of American Lighthouse Foundation's "LEN HADLEY AWARD"
* Winner of Boston's Achievement In Radio "BEST INTERVIEW" AWARD
* Nominated Boston's A.I.R. "BEST PRODUCED PUBLIC AFFAIRS PROGRAM"
* Recipient of Man of the Year Award - Metropolitan Yacht Club - 2009
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