Perils of spring weather

Captains,

Coast Guard District Commanders in Boston and Cleveland published advice to boaters and ice fishermen about the risks of thinking its summer or still winter when its really not. The lure of the open waterway on a nice day after a long cold winter is strong, but shouldn't undermine common sense and safety of life.

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BOSTON – The United States Coast Guard is issuing a fair weather warning for all boaters, paddlers, sailors and fishers who plan to venture out this weekend on the inland and coastal waters of the Northeast’s First Coast Guard District.

With sunny skies and spring-like temperatures forecasted for Saturday and Sunday and inland ice covers rapidly subsiding, the beck and call of open water is strong for many small boaters and paddlers. However, the Coast Guard’s advice is to ignore that call unless properly attired in a dry suit or wet suit, wearing a Coast Guard-approved life jacket and prepared in all respects in the event of capsizing or falling overboard. With coastal water temperatures just a few degrees above freezing and inland waters even colder, the lure of spring-like weather creates a deceptively dangerous combination.

CLEVELAND - The U.S. Coast Guard advises all Great Lakes residents and ice fishing enthusiasts to be aware of possible ice floe break-aways in the coming days.

The National Weather Service forecasts that an ice floe may be set adrift in the western basin of Lake Erie this weekend. The northern half of the western basin of Lake Erie is now ice-free with extensive ice coverage over the southern half of the lake. Winds are forecast to remain from a northerly direction which will help keep the ice locked to the southern shore through the next few days. However, winds are forecast to shift to a southwest direction Saturday night and increase in speed on Sunday.

Temperatures are expected to warm up into the upper 30s and lower 40s over the weekend. The combination of the warmer temperatures and shifting winds along with expected sunshine will cause hazardous conditions on the ice over the weekend.

A large ice floe could potentially break away from its anchor to the islands and shore of Ohio and drift toward Canada. For anyone venturing out on the ice this weekend, there is a danger of becoming trapped on the ice as the ice begins to break away.

Rogue waves and wind strike again

Captains,

Much has been said about the the rogue wind and waves that struck the sail training ship Concordia off Brazil in February and the cruise ship Louis Majesty in the Mediterranean this week. Bottom line is the sea continues to hit hard every so often.

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CBSNEWS: An abnormally high waves (6-8 m) hit the cruise ship “Louis Majesty” (former “Norwegian Majesty”) carrying 2000 people in the Mediterranean sea on March 3rd, 2010. The waves have smashed glass windshields killed two and wounded fourteen passengers according to the official news reports. The killed passengers were identified as a German and an Italian man.

“Louis Majesty” was sailing from Barcelona to Genoa.According to our archive records the accident has happened on March 3rd, 14:20 UTC around the following location.

Latitude: 41°55′ N Longitude: 3°47′ E

40 ships icebound in the Baltic Sea

Captains,

Shipping goes on in the Baltic despite severe winter conditions. A fleet of Swedish icebreakers go to the rescue when vessels get stuck. US and Canada may have to develop this kind of capacity some day if trade routes and energy exploration move into the Arctic.

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(CNN) -- Thirty to 40 ships -- including several passenger ships -- were stuck Thursday in ice off the coast of Sweden, said a spokesman for the Maritime Search and Rescue Center in Gothenburg, Sweden.

The area of the Baltic Sea worst hit by the ice were the waters bounded by mainland Sweden, the Stockholm archipelago and the Finnish island of Aland, said Tommy Gardebring, press officer with the Swedish Maritime Administration.

The center identified one of the passenger ships as the Amorella, with 753 passengers and 190 crew members.

Sad day for winter boaters in VA and NY

Captains,

Weather, navigational safety, lifejackets, or a multitude of other factors could have contributed to these incidents. In any case the water temperature this time of year greatly reduces the survival and viable search time.

In this his is a picture, football player Nick Schuyler is being rescued in a similar incident last year off the Florida Gulf Coast, but his two NFL companions were not found.

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PORTSMOUTH, Va. – Coast Guard crews suspended their search for two missing men on the York River at 6:24 p.m. Thursday.

Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads watchstanders began coordinating the multi-agency search after a James City County 911 dispatcher notified them of a report of two overdue boaters at 9:56 a.m.

A Coast Guard helicopter crew located the men’s 23-foot Sea Ox overturned at about 11 a.m., across the river from Poropotank Bay, about eight miles downriver from West Point.

NEW YORK – The Coast Guard has suspended its search for two missing people after a vessel allegedly capsized in the Rockaways near Queens, N.Y., today around 10 a.m.

“The Coast Guard has suspended its search after searching an area of seven-and-a-half-square miles, or all of lower Jamaica Bay,” said Chief Michael Kramer, a watchstander at Coast Guard Sector New York. The search was suspended at 6 p.m. pending further developments.

Students at Beach Channel High School contacted authorities after reportedly watching a vessel capsize in Jamaica Bay with two people onboard.

Icebreakers POLAR SEA and POLAR STAR in the news

Captains,

America's only two class 1 polar icebreakers were in the news this week. POLAR SEA embarked scientists in Kodiak and POLAR STAR is finally going to be reactivated. Anyone with an interest in climate change and its implications for increased Arctic navigation should keep an eye on these two Coast Guard cutters.

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KODIAK, Alaska — The Coast Guard Cutter Polar Sea, one of the world’s most powerful non-nuclear icebreakers, homeported in Seattle, will arrive and moor at the city pier in Kodiak Thursday. The stop is to embark scientists as part of a two-month deployment in support of the Bering Sea Ecosystem Study (BEST).

The BEST cruise is part of a six year study of the Bering Sea ecosystem supported by the National Science Foundation and the North Pacific Research Board.

The central focus of the scientific cruise is to examine the impacts of changing ice conditions on food web structure in the Bering Sea. A team of 25 scientists will study processes and collect data relating to food webs in the northern Bering Sea.

SEATTLE — Coast Guard Admiral Thad Allen, Commandant, will announce the reactivation of the Coast Guard Cutter Polar Star on Wednesday March 10. The Polar Star is a Coast Guard Heavy Icebreaker. Commissioned in 1976, the ship was built by Lockheed Shipbuilding and Construction Company of Seattle, Washington along with her sister ship, Polar Sea.

The Polar Star has been in “Caretaker” status since June 30, 2006. Caretaker status requires that the crew be reduced to 34 and that the ship be kept ready for reactivation and return to the ice.

Un-marked kayak caused unnecessary search

Coast Guard Suspends Search for Missing Kayaker

Posted: Mar 03, 2010 7:43 AMUpdated: Mar 03, 2010 8:16 AMCAPITOLA, Calif. - The Coast Guard is urging those who take to the waters to mark their boats and kayaks. This follows a massive search that they say could have easily been prevented.

On Tuesday, the U.S. Coast Guard responded to a distress call after a kayak washed ashore in Capitola. They then launched a search for the kayaker, only to realize hours later, the owner had been found on Sunday. His kayak was just never recovered.

This comes off the heels of a new program the Coast Guard just launched called "Operation Paddle Smart."

They encourage boat owners to apply this water-proof sticker with their name and contact info, so any missing items can be returned and they can prevent any more events like this from happening.

Rising tide sinks tug

Captains,

Piers and rising tides can be enough to ruin your day. Always double check your mooring.

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SEATTLE - The 65-foot tug boat Island Wind belonging to Island Tug and Barge sits submerged at its dock in the west waterway of the Duwamish River, north of the Southwest Spokane St. Bridge here, Feb. 28, 2010. Investigators determined the bow of the tug boat became wedged beneath the dock at low tide, causing it to take on water and sink as the tide rose. U.S. Coast Guard photo.