Coast Guard Club Newsletter   Coast Guard Club Newsletter, 5 July 2007   Operations Fort Lauderdale Woman Falls of Yacht, Coast Guard Begins Search Near Bahamas MIAMI - The Coast Guard has begun a search for a 42 year-old woman from Fort Lauderdale, Fla., reported to have fallen off the 49-foot sport fisher, Do Diligence, around 3 July 35 miles south of Freeport, Bahamas. The Do Diligence captain reported that the woman was last seen around 4:30 p.m., leaving the bridge.  The vessel was anchored around 5 p.m., and the people on the vessel realized the woman was missing around 5:30 p.m. Search and rescue coordinators at Coast Guard Sector Miami received a radio call around 6 p.m., from the motor vessel, Grand George, who was relaying the information from the Do Diligence about the woman falling off the yacht.  The Coast Guard immediately notified the Coast Guard Cutter Resolute to begin searching the area.  An HH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Miami was launched to assist in the search efforts.  The Coast Guard is planning to launch a HC-130 Hercules aircraft in the morning. It was reported to the Coast Guard that crew members on the pleasure craft were able to deploy an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) after they noticed the woman fell into the water.  The beacon will provide the direction of the current in the area to the search and rescue coordinators directing the search efforts.  It was also reported that she was not wearing a life jacket. USCG Rescues Missing Cruise Ship Passenger MIAMI - The crew of the USCGC Bluefin rescued a cruise ship passenger about 50 miles east of Boca Raton, Fla., after he reportedly jumped from the Carnival Liberty 3 July. The Coast Guard was notified by the cruise ship captain that Scott Durbin, 29, a Rockville, Md., resident, had possibly jumped from the cruise ship around 11:35 p.m., Sunday.  Durrin was believed to have fallen about 36 feet into the water. Search and rescue coordinators at Coast Guard Sector Miami diverted the Bluefin, Coast Guard Cutter Resolute and launched an HH-65 Dolphin helicopter from Air Station Miami.  The crew on the Carnival Liberty was able to throw life-rings and jackets over the side when Durrin went into the water. The cutter Bluefin was only nine miles away from the Carnival Liberty when the call came in.  The crew arrived to the search area almost immediately and located Durrin less than an hour later at 12:22 a.m.  It's reported that Durrin was intoxicated. Missing Boaters Located Safe At Home  JACKSONVILLE, Fla. - The Coast Guard rescue coordinators closed the case on two missing boaters on the Intra-Coastal Waterway near the James Turner Butler Blvd. Bridge here at approximately noon today after significant investigative work by rescue coordinators. Michael Craig Walls, 32, and Ray Ash of Jacksonville, Fla., were on a 12-foot johnboat last night when a 32-foot sport fishing vessel and the johnboat collided immediately sinking the vessel and sending the two men in the water at about 10 a.m.. The 32-foot boat stopped and picked up the men and took them to the Beach Blvd. Boat Ramp in Jacksonville Beach. The two men had lost two blades on their propeller and drifted into the navigational channel in the ICW when the accident occurred. A Good Samaritan heading north on the ICW called Coast Guard rescue coordinators and reported seeing fuel and debris in the vicinity of the JTB Bridge at about 1:40 a.m. The Good Samaritan had towed Walls and Ash to that area earlier in the evening and left them to fish near the bridge. The debris the boater saw matched the boat he towed earlier. The Coast Guard launched a helicopter rescue crew from Savannah, Ga., and a rescue boat crew from Mayport, Fla., to search the area. The crews spotted several lifejackets and floating debris in the area. Coast Guard crews searched the ICW and St. Johns River, Fla., throughout the night for missing boaters with the help of crews from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, the Jacksonville Sheriff's Office, and the Coast Guard Auxiliary. Meanwhile, Coast Guard rescue coordinators were looking for any information about the boaters they could find. Rescue coordinators contacted all of the commercial salvage companies in the area and asked them to provide the phone numbers of anyone who may have called for assistance Saturday night. Rescue coordinators called the numbers and eventually got a hold of Walls' wife who put them in touch with Walls. Investigators with FWC are investigating the incident.  Diver Rescued From Shinnecock Inlet  NEW YORK - A Coast Guard rescue crew from Station Shinnecock on Long Island rescued a diver from the Shinnecock Inlet as he was being swept out to sea by a strong current 28 June. The rescue crew found Sujohn Low, 54, just three minutes after being notified by a Good Samaritan who saw him waving his arms in distress. The crew was diverted from a safety boarding nearby to make the rescue. “We were finishing up a boarding when we got the call,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class James Sigel, who piloted the 25-foot Coast Guard Rescue Boat.  "We made our way as fast as we could to the inlet.  He was waving his arms trying to flag an inbound fishing vessel.” Low, who was spear fishing, suffered no injuries and had all necessary safety gear.  He was taken to Oaklands Marina in Shinnecock Inlet by the rescue crew three minutes after being rescued. “He was moving fast.  The inlet currents speed up during the ebb and exit just like a riptide would,” said Sigel.  “The current there moves at approximately 3-4 knots, each knot of water is equal to about 30 knots of wind.  If he had just swam parallel to the shore he probably would have made his way out of the current.  He was lucky we got there when we did.” Nine Rescued BALTIMORE - The Coast Guard and Aberdeen Proving Ground Police Department rescued eight people 4 July, including a pregnant woman and a 10-month-old child, after the boat they were on ran aground near Spesutie Island, Md. The owner of the boat contacted the Coast Guard on his cell phone late Tuesday night, and a boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Curtis Bay, Md., was launched but was unable to reach the boaters due to shallow water. An HH-65C Dolphin helicopter rescue crew from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, N.J., was launched and arrived onscene at 3:02 a.m. At 3:17 a.m. the helicopter crew began the first of three hoists. When complete, all eight people aboard were hoisted to safety and taken to the Aberdeen Proving Ground to awaiting medical personnel. Additionally, the aircrew hoisted a member of the Aberdeen Proving Ground Police Department who had left his boat and stayed with the family during the rescue operation, but had difficulty returning to his boat. Coast Guard Coordinates Rescue 345 Miles off Virginia Coast PORTSMOUTH, Va. - Coast Guard watch standers at RCC Portsmouth coordinated the rescue of a sailor 345 miles east of Cape Henry, Va., 25 June. Douglas W. Eaton, captain of the 20-foot sailing vessel Tyche homeported in Key West, Fla., was rescued by the crew of the cruise ship Crown Princess after the Coast Guard received an Electronic Locater Transmitter (ELT) signal from Eaton this afternoon.  The Crown Princess, a 947-foot Bahamian-flagged cruise ship, is designated as an Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue (AMVER) vessel. "We got a great response from the AMVER vessels in the area," said Coast Guard Lt. j.g. Scott Murphy, who said several AMVER vessels in the area also answered the Coast Guard's call for assistance. Eaton will stay on board the Crown Princess until its next port of call in New York City. Coast Guard Rescues Five CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas - The Coast Guard rescued five people from the water after their boat capsized four miles east of Port Aransas, Texas Friday evening. A watchstander at Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi received a call at approximately 6 p.m. Friday from Lisa Kay reporting that her husband, Alvin Kay, and four friends were over due from a fishing trip.   The Coast Guard launched a HU-25 rescue jet crew from Air Station Corpus Christi, and a rescue boat crew from Station Port Aransas. Kay, a 69-year-old boat owner from San Antonio, Texas, along with four friends departed Port Aransas early Friday morning to go fishing in the Gulf of Mexico.  At approximately 11 a.m. their 21-foot boat capsized when three of the individuals on board moved to the same side.  The boat was 10 miles offshore and began drifting towards Port Aransas.  The survivors attempted to signal three passing boats using an orange flotation device rigged to a pole. At 8 p.m. the Coast Guard HU-25 jet crew located the overturned boat.  Station Port Aransas boat crew arrived on scene shortly afterwards and rescued all five.  The survivors were reported to be in good condition with only minor injuries of sunburn and cuts. CG ARC Audit Sacramento – The Yeoman of the Coast Guard Amateur Radio Club has undertaken a complete audit of membership records of the club. The step is being taken to update the records as well as get an accurate count of actual membership. As of 1 June, the Yeoman has been unable to contact the listed members of the Coast Guard ARC who have different addresses from those listed in the club database. Members of the club are also being asked to update any information previously submitted that may now be outdated. Those changes include a household move to a new address, new contact information such as mailing address, telephone numbers and e-mail addresses. Submit any information to: Rick McCusker, WF6O, 5699 Time Court, Sacramento, CA., 95824 or by e-mail to: rickmccusker@sbcglobal.net. Missing Members: N2PZW          KA2RSF        W4BLZ          N4IXX         N4KOA         KN4LF      KC4RSN        KB5KSS        WQ5O          K5OGF WD6DHI       KF6HUH      K6LYT         K6MHE       K6TIB KD7CGT       KD7JQ         KG7MI         W7MMZ      W7NMC     W7NR     KC7OKZ NQ7E             N7PXG        WB7NIL         K7SD             WB8TON      N8XT            K8YLL KC9FOA         KG0BV          N0DYU        N0JVB           AB0VJ           Reunions   (07/20/2007 - 07/22/2007) Cutter Chase Association Did you sail on CHASE? We would like to bring together as many former Chase sailors as possible. This will be our third biannual reunion and we want it to be our most successful. Contact Jim O'Callaghan or Pete Levine at plevine@keenepromotions.com   (06/01/2007 - 09/01/2007) USCGC ESCANABA (WMEC 907) Reunion of the crew of the USCGC ESCANABA in the Summer of 2007. Please contact JohnSwindlehurst@gmail.com   (09/04/2007 - 09/06/2007) Cutters Around the Continent The 50th anniversary of the historic voyage by the U. S. Coast Guard Cutters STORIS, BRAMBLE and SPAR, circumnavigating the North American continent from west to east for the first time, during the summer of 1957, will be remembered and celebrated by a reunion to be held as follows: When: September 4 thru 6, 2007 Where: Harrah?s Hotel and Casino, Reno, Nevada Any crewmember (and his/her guests) who served in STORIS, BRAMBLE or SPAR at any time are invited to attend. Plans are that the Coast Guard band and drill team will be present during the reunion and, if at all possible, Admiral Thad Allen, Commandant of the Coast Guard, will be present with us on September 6th. Information regarding hotel rates, reservations, registration, etc. will be posted on our website (http://www.storisbramblespar.org). Further information may be obtained by contacting Jim Loback at: 10436 Teal Circle, Fountain Valley, CA 92708 Phone: (714) 968-8964 (fax on demand) E-mail: StorisBrambleSpar@msn.com Web site: http://www.storisbramblespar.org   (09/10/2007 - 09/14/2007) USCGC CAMPBELL W-32   (09/13/2007 - 09/16/2007) USCGC Duane Association   (09/09/2007 - 09/11/2007) Westwind Association 2007 Reunion (09/09/2007 - 09/12/2007) 31 First BSPAV Reunion Thirty First annual BSPAV Reunion, at the Holiday Inn One Grady Way, Renton, WA Phone number 425-226-7700. Open to Active duty, Retired and former members of the USCG who served on active duty in Alaska,0r sailed the Bering Sea, for a continuous period of 21 days.   (09/27/2007 - 10/01/2007) Spencer Association The SPENCER ASSOCIATION will be holding their 2007 reunion September 27 thru October 1, in Philadelphia. Reunion activities include a bus trip to historical sites, Saturday banquet and Sunday barbecue. The SPENCER ASSOCIATION welcomes all who are interested in joining us for a weekend of great fun and camaraderie. For additional information and registration contact Nick Frank at (215) 616-0943.   (09/30/2007 - 10/07/2007) USCGC Glacier Crewmembers of 1967-1975 The former crewmembers of the USCGC Glacier from 1967-75 is having a 7 days cruise reunion on Sept. 30, 2007 to Oct. 7, 2007. If interested please call MR. T. Villanueva or contact the travel agent at this nos. 1800-228-8843 ext. 273 . Email : ibergman@travelofamerica.net     Net Control Station(s) Needed Dallas/Fort Worth, Tx. – Due to extremely poor band conditions for the last several months, we still need an alternate net control station near the geographic center of the country to assist Dick and Rick on those rare occasions when neither of them can host the net. Station(s) wishing to assist need not be the powerhouse stations you all wish you had. Due to conditions that are not perfect, especially during this low in the sunspot cycle, a station running with 100 watts of power and a good dipole or beam would be more than adequate. If you are interested in becoming a semi-regular alternate net control, please contact Dick Anderson at ke7a@verizon.net.