May 17, 2010 - Search and Rescue "MISSION"

OK, this isn't something we did as a family, or even with our boat, but I am still chuckling about it and had to write something about this.  I'm a member of Skagit Bay Search and Rescue which is a volunteer organization that assists the Coast Guard with missing boats, missing people, boating accidents, and being a safety presence for boating events like kayak races, fishing derby's, boat parades, etc.

Well, tonight I got called out to investigate an overturned boat tied to a piling near a big green navigation buoy just a few miles south of here.  Instead of taking one of the two Search and Rescue boats, we got to go out in the La Conner fire boat.

Getting the La Conner fire boat ready

(Sorry about the picture quality on some of these, they were taken with my iPhone)

There are three of us; the Fire Chief, the head of Search and Rescue, and me (Steve).  This is a really cool boat, it's got a big V8 and a jet drive, so it can go very fast in shallow water (3" draft at 30mph).  It's loud too.  There is a big fire monitor (hose) on the bow, which you can see here doing it's thing:

Fire boat at opening day boat parade

Leaving the marina

We head down the channel at high speed.  I can see people in restaurants stopping mid-bite to watch our bright red fireboat zipping along 100' from their dinner table.  We didn't have the emergency flasher lights on, but people seemed to really notice us anyway.  It was a beautiful evening to be on the water with light winds, some interesting clouds, and no other boat traffic to contend with.

Heading toward the rainbow bridge, quickly  :-)

We head out "hole in the wall" and make the turn towards Whidbey Island.  As we near Goat Island we can see the overturned boat.  It's about a 16' aluminum fishing boat tied to a piling.  There is no motor.  There is a red plastic outboard motor gas can floating in the water tethered to the boat by the fuel line.  There is also a floating crab-pot type float tied to the disabled boat.  No sign of life jackets, or any other equipment though. 

The overturned boat, at the base of the first piling.

We start to scan the beaches and after a minute or two spot two people on shore.  They are just walking around, not seeming too excited about the situation.  We motor over to them.  It was a VERY low tide today and this entire area was dry, but we are now in 6'-8' of water almost all the way to shore.  As we get there we get our first good look at these people that seem to have misjudged the tide.

"Frumpy" woman on cell phone while smoking, on the left

Guy with a beer in his hand & bright green hair, on the right.

So, we get to shore and shut off the engine.  They appear to be in their late 20's or early 30's.  They look a bit confused, unconcerned, and frankly, drunk or wasted.  It's going to be dark in an hour.  We ask if they need a ride and much to our surprise they say "NO -- we are camping here overnight and are fine".  That prompts us to ask if they are equiped to stay overnight and he says "oh yeah, we setup a camp over there somewhere, we've got food, a tent, sleeping bags, some hamburgers, and beer."  By the slurring in his voice and the beer can in his hand I already figured out they had plenty of beer!   They ask what that red thing floating by their boat is, because it's so far away they can't really make it out.  It was their gas can, and the outboard motor must be at the bottom because it wasn't on the transom anymore.  We ask if they have been contacted by the Coast Guard and he replies "no, we've been trying to call her sister but she isn't home."  She holds her phone up for us to see as she simultaneously blows a big cloud of cigarette smoke into the air.  Classy.  The Coast Guard is en-route by now, so we alert them that they don't need to come.  We ask this couple what their plan is for the overturned and sunken boat and they say "we are just going to wait until low tide tomorrow and go out there and see if we can flip it over".  I hope they have oars, because they aren't getting that motor started......  We tripple-check with them to make sure they are fine and do not need assistance.  They say that they came here to spend the night and that is what they are doing, it's just that they "goofed on the tide a bit",   Ahh,  YEAH!!!!!  Just a bit.  Their boat was tied to a post at a negative tide when the base was out of the water (which is now 10' underwater).  That post is now almost 1/2 mile away from dry land.  That's more than a "bit". 

On the ride back to the marina the fire chief quipped "So the 911 caller that reported this said they were by the green bouy?  Or that the guy IS a green bouy."   --  His hair was BRIGHT green.  Personally, I don't think it was natural.

That was definitely an experience, and that couple was an absolute trip.  Talk about bizarre people.  I can't really convey it in words, but they were pretty "trippy".  I don't know, perhaps they escaped from some sort of institution and we really should have captured them.....