T/V Triathlon rescues sailors near Bermuda

Captains,

This story comes from the AMVER blog. Ships enrolled in AMVER save lives all over the world. This recent rescue involved two Americans sailing in the Atlantic. Thanks to the captain of tank ship, TRIATHLON, and her crew for being vigilant, professional, and hospitable in the rescue of the two unfortunate sailors.

RADM W

Friday, November 26, 2010

Greek Amver tanker rescues 2

Two American sailors experienced Greek hospitality first hand after they launched several distress flares and were rescued by the crew of the Amver participating tanker Triathlon. The Triathlon witnessed the flares on November 21st while sailing near Bermuda in the Atlantic Ocean. At approximately 2138 local time the bridge crew saw the flares and called Captain Glagaris Georgios to the bridge where he ordered all engines standby. Within 10 minutes of seeing the flare Captain Georgios had a rescue team in the water heading to the stricken sailboat.

Captain Georgios was in contact with Rescue Coordination Center Bermuda and his vessel management as he maneuvered the 900 foot tanker to provide a lee for the sailboat and made a rescue attempt but had to break off the rescue because of high winds and large ocean swells. A second attempt was tried but had to be aborted because the Triathlon could not get lines on the sailboat. The third attempt was successful and the sailboat was able to make fast alongside the tanker. Lowering the embarkation ladder, the Triathlon crew assisted the two sailors aboard the Greek flagged tanker and provided first aid, food, and water. Thankfully the two survivors were unhurt.

Captain Georgios radioed rescue authorities in Bermuda and arranged to have a vessel meet the ship when it arrived at the pilot station in Bermuda. After meeting the pilot boat and disembarking the survivors, the Triathlon made full away to its next port in Nigeria.

Shipboard fires still threaten passengers

Captains,

Marine safety specialists in the USCG watched the most recent passenger vessel fire with great interest just days after noting the 30th anniversary of the loss of the C/S Prinsendam due to a fire. Fortunately in both cases, the passengers and crew were all saved.

RADM W

Fire-Hit Ferry In Baltic Sea 'Is Now Safe'

8:36am UK, Monday October 11, 2010

Richard Williams, Sky News Online

A 650ft ferry set on fire in the Baltic Sea by an explosion on its upper decks is no longer at risk of sinking, officials say.

The ferry was anchored off the southern tip of the Danish island Langeland

Hundreds of passengers were rescued as firefighting ships sprayed the Lisco Gloria with water to keep it from breaking apart and spilling some 170 tons of fuel.

But Dirk Reichenbach, spokeswoman for Germany's Central Command for Maritime Emergencies, said the blaze was now under control.

The 249 people aboard the vessel were collected by six ships, with three taken to hospitals by helicopter for treatment and another 28 suffering minor injuries.

The Lithuanian-flagged ferry was traveling from the German port of Kiel to Klaipeda.

Good Samaritan recognition

Captains

Here's a good news story:

RADM W

Coast Guard to award Tybee Island charter boat crew Certificate of Merit for heroic action

SAVANNAH, Ga. – An award ceremony will be held Wednesday for the captain and crew of the motor vessel Dolphin III for their heroic efforts in the rescue of two boaters earlier this year.

The Coast Guard will present a Coast Guard Certificate of Merit to Capt. Josh Parker and his crew for their meritorious public service at a ceremony Wednesday at 10 a.m.

Parker and his crew are credited with saving the life’s of two people aboard a 31-foot pleasure craft after they hit a jetty in the Savannah River May 24, 2010.

Humpback Whale freed of tangled rope

Captains,

Only the most dedicated professionals rescue tangled whales, but everyone should be conscious of how loose gear and debris threatens marine mammals. Save the whales. Secure your gear.

RDML W

Freeing whale of rope took fortune and grit

By Rosemarie Bernardo

POSTED: 01:30 a.m. HST, Dec 08, 2009

Luck and persistence helped federal and state officials free a young humpback whale entangled in hundreds of feet of plastic rope.

COURTESY NOAA

Federal and state workers freed the entangled yearling humpback whale on Sunday. About 350 feet of rope was removed, seven feet of which was wrapped between and around the whale's mouth.

View more photos >>

The delicate operation was detailed yesterday by representatives of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Coast Guard and state Department of Land and Natural Resources.

Of concern were the stricken youngster's docile but massive mother swimming nearby — along with her male companion, who at one point appeared aggravated, rapidly circling the rescue boat and spouting.

"We had to watch that escort very carefully," said Ed Lyman, marine mammal response manager with NOAA's Hawaiian Islands Humpback Whale National Marine Sanctuary, who coordinated the rescue effort.

The operation Sunday at Penguin Bank, a submerged shelf extending from western Molokai, required slowing down the 25-foot whale so he could be safely approached by boat.

About 350 feet of rope was removed, seven feet of which was wrapped between and around the whale's mouth.

The agencies had been tracking the whale's movement since last Tuesday after it was spotted by a sunrise whale tour off of Maui. Rough sea conditions prevented team members from responding sooner.

The yearling was tagged with a telemetry buoy that had a GPS and satellite transmitter attached, helping officials track its movement. Sunday's sea conditions were ideal for crew members to rescue the yearling humpback whale after it was spotted from a Coast Guard HH-65 Dolphin helicopter.

Twelve humpback whales have been rescued since 2003. Officials said whale rescues are not always successful.

Thank you AMVER and participating ships

Captains,

It's great to see this many ships on the Amver plot. Congratulations to Ben Strong, his Amver team, and the dedicated crews of participating ships. I happen to be monitoring an Amver rescue case off the Atlantic coast right now.

RDML W

Tuesday, December 1, 2009

Another Record!

Can you believe it! Amver has reached another record. On Saturday November 28 there were 3,758 ships on plot for a 24 hour period. That is the greatest number of Amver ships available to assist those in distress in our 51 year history and it wouldn't be possible without the support of the shipping community.

Rescued Sailors off Hawaiian Islands

Captains, You gotta like this story because the kid from Galesburg and his friend survive. They called someone ashore before it was too late, saved the last flare until they knew the helo would see it, and trusted the rescue swimmer. Too bad they didn't wait for a better day to go sailing in a 24 foot boat. The Sector Honolulu SAR planner sums it up pretty well. "Those two guys were fortunate." RDML W

Galesburg man saved at sea

SOURCE: WQAD, 30Nov09

GALESBURG, Illinois - Luke has always loved the ocean. But, his passion almost cost him his life.

He's surfed and snorkeled but in his 25 years, he's never sailed until last Sunday. His friend, Alfredo, asked Luke if he wanted to sail with him to take a boat back to it's owner - a 30 hour trip between the islands of Hawaii.

They set sail early Sunday morning. On Monday morning, Luke called his fiancée, Allyson, to let her know they ran into some rough waters and won't be arriving when they said and to call his parents, Jim and Beth. That night, Luke and Alfredo were facing waves up to 20 feet high. "It's the channel between Maui and the big island. It’s supposed to be the one of the most dangerous crossings on any of the oceans," explained Jim. Luke confirmed it was. "When we hit the channel, our rudder snapped off the back of the boat so we had no steering. That's when we knew we were in trouble," said Luke.

Moments later, the sailboat capsized. The men lost their cell phones and handheld radio. Alfredo rigged up some lights to put at the end of the mast to send SOS signals. They managed to save 3 of the 20 flares that was on board and shot off 2 of them when they saw a ship pass nearby, but it didn't stop.

Luke's parents were trying to call him all day on Monday. Then, decided to call the Coast Guard that night. Luke and Alfredo spotted the rescue plane. "It went by the first time and already past us. So he (Alfredo) held onto the flare. He knew how they fly the search pattern and know it'd be back in 20 minutes." They shot off their last flare.

“When we arrived on scene the two sails masts were in the water and the boat was swaying violently in the water,” said Lt. j.g. Jason Gross, an HH-65 rescue helicopter pilot.

“After we lowered a rescue swimmer onto the vessel, we determined the best course of action would be to have the two men swim away from the boat and then we lowered a basket into the water and hoisted them from there.”

“This one could have turned out much differently,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Sean Soule, a search and rescue planner with Coast Guard Sector Honolulu. “We received tremendous cooperation from the DLNR, Navy and Hawaii County officials and were able to cover a huge area and those two guys were fortunate.”

At 8:54 Tuesday night, the Harmons got a call from the National Guard saying their son and his friend had been found and are fine. They had to lower a diver into the water for the rescue because the waters were too rough.

After this near-death experience, Luke's passion for the ocean hasn't changed. "I'll probably do it again," Luke said. Then, he laughed and added, "But, I don't think I'll cross that channel on a 24 foot sailboat again'.