Posted by Webmaster on Feb 19, 2010 in
Fishing The U.S. Coast Guard hoisted a 33-year-old man from a fishing vessel near Cape Blanco, Wednesday, after the man complained of chest pains.
At about 1:30 p.m., Coast Guard Station Coos Bay received a request for assistance from the Shenanegan, a 50-foot fishing vessel.
A 47-foot motor lifeboat crew from Coos Bay went to the scene with two emergency medical technicians. A HH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew was launched from Coast Guard Air Station North Bend, a Coast Guard press release states. Despite poor visibility, caused by heavy fog, the helicopter crew hoisted Mike Hebert, 33, address unavailable, into the helicopter and returned him to Air Station North Bend where he was transferred to Bay Area Hospital by ambulance.
A hospital nursing supervisor said Hebert remained in the hospital in fair condition Thursday morning.
View the video HERE.
Tags: coast guard, rescue, video
Posted by Webmaster on Feb 10, 2010 in
Fishing,
In The News Phil Harris, captain of the Alaskan king crab boat Cornelia Marie and one of the skippers on Discovery channel’s Deadliest Catch, died Tuesday.
The grizzle-bearded 53-year-old suffered a massive stroke in late January aboard his boat, while it was in St. Paul Island, Alaska, according to The Associated Press.
“It is with great sadness that we say goodbye to our dad — Captain Phil Harris. Dad has always been a fighter and continued to be until the end,” his sons, Josh and Jake Harris, said in a statement on the family’s Web site. “For us and the crew, he was someone who never backed down.”
The Cornelia Marie is based in Seattle and Harris was popular along the Northwest Coast. He stopped at a Bandon grocery story in April 2009, attracting a crowd of fans who lined up for his autograph and a chat with the reality TV star.
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Tags: cornelia marie, Deadliest catch, death, Phil Harris, stroke
Posted by William on Feb 3, 2010 in
General In his column for the Umpaqu Post, accomplished fisherman and noted outdoor writer Pete Heley commented on the aggressive practices that the Douglas County Sheriff used enforcing the Coast Guard’s rules for crossing the Umpqua River Bar.
“Recently, there have been both troubling and encouraging statements regarding the new enforcement area associated with bar closures on the lower Umpqua River.
Statements by the Coast Guard affirming that they are the only enforcement agency with authority regarding the location of boats in the lower river was encouraging. A statement that anybody harassed about the location of their boats while on the lower river should call the Coast Guard (541-271-2138) was most encouraging.
Statements that the Coast Guard was only enforcing a river closure up to navigational aid 6 (the upriver end of the jetty) was even more encouraging. But a statement that there was almost the same number of bar closures as in recent years — and therefore, there was little change in enforcement procedure — was misleading and inaccurate.
When the amount of lower river that is attached to a bar closure is nearly doubled, it is a colossal change. The fact that it is not actively being enforced only works if all future users are aware of the practice. The fact is, a different agency, through aggressive use of authority that they didn’t have, has already done major harm to the future economy of Winchester Bay.
I, for one, actually think that the Coast Guard would like to be a good partner in the well-being of Winchester Bay. But to fully minimize the damage that is already done, the Coast Guard needs to be able to convey more encouraging information to those would-be users from out of the area when they call to see if they can actually come over and participate in the water-based recreation of their choice. I certainly hope they figure out a way to do that. Ports from Charleston to Newport have recently benefited, at Winchester Bay’s expense.
For those of us who have been here for a number of years, there have been a number of changes that have largely gone under the radar — changes that have reduced Winchester Bay’s recreational opportunities.
It wasn’t very many years ago that the Coast Guard allowed salmon and some bottom fish anglers to fish along the upper end of the South Jetty while they waited for a bar restriction or closure to be lifted. It allowed anglers to quickly react to the opening of the bar instead of having to travel 10 miles from Reedsport to cross it.
Until recently, the number of bar closures to vessels more than 40 feet in length was rare. In the last week, the Umpqua River bar has had closures to vessels less than 60 feet in length and another closure to less than 80 feet in length.
One more thing before moving on to happier subjects. If safety is really an important aspect of these restrictions, anglers intending to fish out of Winchester Bay for halibut and tuna need to get an early start if they are going to return to port under safer conditions. In past years, it seems that these anglers were often allowed to leave Winchester Bay quite early, resulting in more pleasurable and safer trips. Can it be that way again?” Bill Lackner for the Clam Diggers Association of Oregon
