7 "Rescued" from Sportfisher off Mid-Atlantic Coast

[ArmyDaveNY]

According to the linked article from Chesapeake Bay Magazine, 7 people were "rescued" 69 miles off the coast southeast of Cape May, New Jersey. Also in the article is a video of the boat and the conditions at the time of the rescue. https://chesapeakebaymagazine.com/vi...tlantic-coast/

Per the article:
40 foot sport fisherman
Winds gusting to 30 knots
Seas 4 to 6 feet (1.2 to 1.8 Meters)
An unknown source reported 10 foot (3 meters) seas at times.
The article listed no faults with the vessel
The article lists no medical emergencies

Full disclosure:
1. I was not there!
2. Given the state of reporting these days, it is very possible that there was more to the story.

First, kudos yet again to the professionalism of the Coast Guard. It never ceases to amaze me how quickly they respond regardless of the conditions. Second, I was tempted to put this under the Seamanship, Navigation, and Boat Handling column, or more correctly, the lack of Seamanship and Boat Handling!

Again, I wasn't there but it seems that this was a case of people being afraid due to being in over their head, failing to recognize their limitations, and a lack of proper prior planning. Does anyone have any additional information? It would be interesting to know what happened to their vessel, and what actually happened. On the plus side, no one was injured or killed.

[StuM]

Looks like the emergency was that they had all run out of clean underwear

[ArmyDaveNY]

Originally Posted by StuM

Looks like the emergency was that they had all run out of clean underwear

That made my evening!

[Luvboats]

Story says “all 7 people aboard were airlifted”. So what happened or is happening to the boat? Is it simply adrift? With a bunch of soiled under panties littering the deck?

[ArmyDaveNY]

Originally Posted by Luvboats

Story says “all 7 people aboard were airlifted”. So what happened or is happening to the boat? Is it simply adrift? With a bunch of soiled under panties littering the deck?

Good questions!

[toddster8]

I could only hear one side of the conversation, and not the whole thing, but I swear, this morning I heard someone calling the CG because they were hungry. (And maybe out of gas. On a sailboat.) And not out at sea, either. Somewhere on the Columbia River.

[ArmyDaveNY]

Originally Posted by toddster8

I could only hear one side of the conversation, and not the whole thing, but I swear, this morning I heard someone calling the CG because they were hungry. (And maybe out of gas. On a sailboat.) And not out at sea, either. Somewhere on the Columbia River.

I doubt the Coast Guard has the Domino's Pizza 30 minute delivery guarantee! It is sad how people abuse emergency services these days.

[GordMay]

U.S. Coast Guard 5th District Mid-Atlantic
News Release ➥ https://content.govdelivery.com/acco...letins/2e9fd69

[wolfgal]

Originally Posted by StuM

Looks like the emergency was that they had all run out of clean underwear

burst my coffee on this one!

[The Perfessor]

I was watching a video of a power boat full of guys who decided to "just go to Cuba" from Miami. During the passage, they hit big waves and wind. The crew could not control the boat and kept telling the captain that they should call the coast guard. He was below trying to rest and finally came up. He kept telling the crew "no" on calling the coast guard as they were not in mortal peril. Then he put the boat in gear (the crew didn't have it in gear) so they could regain steerage and on their way they went. That kind of changed their perspective!

The point is that an inexperienced crew who can't distinguish between their fear and real danger can result in calls to the coast guard that likely aren't necessary if they just managed their fear. In rough situations, I tell my crew "wait 15 minutes and it will become the new normal." That has helped to alleviate my crew's fears when things get rough. That being said, I'm also in a sailboat, so getting knocked down is very recoverable (not that I've ever been knocked down!), so my level of comfort in rough weather is likely higher than if I were on a power boat in which I have little experience.

Just my two cents; it sounds as though they didn't have enough experience to trust the boat (assuming it wasn't disabled in some way) to weather the waves.

[Hoodsail]

So anyone know the lat/lon on where that 40 footer was last seen? And salvage rights? Can civilians access epirb signals? Thinking of sailing out there with a friend and motoring that beast to Montauk, Long Island.

[Deep Blue Water]

Obviously wasn't there, but I don't understand the "overwhelmed" aspect of it - it sounds as if they were unfamiliar with weather

[Valmika]

I thought they lost the engines or something and you guys were just being mean. Then I watched the video and now I know "the rest of the story"

[George DuBose]

I would like to hear more details regarding why the sportfisherman was abandoned.

30-40 knots of wind, 2-3 meter seas, **** that's when things start to be fun.

At least on a well-rigged sailboat.

[tweitz]

It amazes me that people can be 69 miles out at sea without an appreciation for the fact that weather can come. I have seen a lot of people who don't differentiate motoring a boat from driving a car.