Mikemapva
Active Member
- Aug 6, 2007
- 631
- Boat Info
- 2001 Chaparral Signature 300
- Engines
- Twin 5.0 Volvo DPs with 7KW Kohler
Coast Guard-Station Cortez rescues 3 boaters over Labor Day
By Jennifer Glenfield, Islander Reporter
Boaters off the coast of Anna Maria Island found themselves in a precarious situation over the Labor Day weekend.
The U.S. Coast Guard-Station Cortez received a call around 4 p.m. Aug. 31 that a vessel 7 miles offshore containing three passengers was taking on water, said Anthony Ramos, machinery technician second-class for the Coast Guard.
Ramos said he and a crew started up their 45-foot rescue boat and headed out to the vessel in distress via Longboat Pass.
Upon arriving to the scene, the crew found the 37-foot yacht submerged up to the swim platform. Ramos said the boaters aboard the vessel had friends on a nearby boat, and safely climbed aboard, as Ramos boarded the sinking ship.
“The pumps weren’t working and there was no way to get the engine room door open. The pump only went 2 feet down and would only pump out a quarter of the water,” Ramos said.
By the time the Coast Guard had arrived, the engine had flooded. Ramos said the crew began to tow the vessel, with Ramos still aboard to keep the boat from sinking.
“I realized if I couldn’t get that engine room open, the boat was going to sink, so I stayed on the vessel,” he said.
On the way back to shore, said Ramos, the pump began to loose suction, but in a stroke of luck and skill, the engine room door finally opened after Ramos flipped the electrical breakers.
Ramos then discovered a 3-inch hole in the hull and another Coast Guard boat was called to assist. The assisting crew provided Ramos with a damage control kit, or DC kit, and he used a plug and hammer to stop the influx of water.
A travel lift was available in the event the crew couldn’t keep the boat high enough out of the water to tow it.
Adding to the challenges, the crew was caught in a thunderstorm in the home stretch back to the Bradenton Beach Marina.
They made it, and later hauled the vessel out of the water.
Ramos said the problem was caused by the loss of the transducer and the glue holding it in place failed. The transducer is fixed to the hull and uses sonar to determine speed and water depth. The boaters told Ramos they had recently had work done on their boat.
They told Ramos they heard a “pop” and water began filling the vessel.
No one was injured in the incident.
“With the engine being completely submerged, this boat’s not going into the water anytime soon,” Ramos said.
By Jennifer Glenfield, Islander Reporter
Boaters off the coast of Anna Maria Island found themselves in a precarious situation over the Labor Day weekend.
The U.S. Coast Guard-Station Cortez received a call around 4 p.m. Aug. 31 that a vessel 7 miles offshore containing three passengers was taking on water, said Anthony Ramos, machinery technician second-class for the Coast Guard.
Ramos said he and a crew started up their 45-foot rescue boat and headed out to the vessel in distress via Longboat Pass.
Upon arriving to the scene, the crew found the 37-foot yacht submerged up to the swim platform. Ramos said the boaters aboard the vessel had friends on a nearby boat, and safely climbed aboard, as Ramos boarded the sinking ship.
“The pumps weren’t working and there was no way to get the engine room door open. The pump only went 2 feet down and would only pump out a quarter of the water,” Ramos said.
By the time the Coast Guard had arrived, the engine had flooded. Ramos said the crew began to tow the vessel, with Ramos still aboard to keep the boat from sinking.
“I realized if I couldn’t get that engine room open, the boat was going to sink, so I stayed on the vessel,” he said.
On the way back to shore, said Ramos, the pump began to loose suction, but in a stroke of luck and skill, the engine room door finally opened after Ramos flipped the electrical breakers.
Ramos then discovered a 3-inch hole in the hull and another Coast Guard boat was called to assist. The assisting crew provided Ramos with a damage control kit, or DC kit, and he used a plug and hammer to stop the influx of water.
A travel lift was available in the event the crew couldn’t keep the boat high enough out of the water to tow it.
Adding to the challenges, the crew was caught in a thunderstorm in the home stretch back to the Bradenton Beach Marina.
They made it, and later hauled the vessel out of the water.
Ramos said the problem was caused by the loss of the transducer and the glue holding it in place failed. The transducer is fixed to the hull and uses sonar to determine speed and water depth. The boaters told Ramos they had recently had work done on their boat.
They told Ramos they heard a “pop” and water began filling the vessel.
No one was injured in the incident.
“With the engine being completely submerged, this boat’s not going into the water anytime soon,” Ramos said.
