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capsized!

Started by alantani, December 31, 2008, 11:58:45 PM

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alantani

reprinted from offshoreanglers.com without permission

Quote from: greatscot3I saw this on the news this morning. Must have been pretty lumpy for a Grady to go over. I wonder if the coasties will follow up with a reason. Sad.

HALF MOON BAY, Calif. (AP) - The U.S. Coast Guard said two men have been found dead in a boat that was discovered capsized in steep swells off California's central coast.  The Coast Guard launched a search for possible victims after being notified around 10:00 a.m. Saturday that a boat was overturned about one nautical mile from Pillar Point Harbor in Half Moon Bay.  According to the agency, the 22-foot Grady White fishing boat was towed to the harbor around 3 p.m. and the bodies discovered when the boat was righted.
The San Mateo County Sheriff's Office identified the men as 47-year-old David Tien and 45-year-old Jim Hsu, cousins from Milpitas.  Authorities described Tien as an experienced rough-water fisherman. 


Quote from: jfmaganaVery sad, tragic and yet entirely avoidable event.

HMB has been my home port for many years...I've learned to have the utmost respect for Mother Nature as she is totally unforgiving.

Two weeks ago I had a long chat with the folks in the Pillar Point Harbormaster's office...they were some of the first people at the scene and had the best first-hand knowledge of the sequence of events that led to this tragedy. As of this writing, the investigation is still underway...San Mateo Sheriff's dept. owns closure. What is know is the following:

1. A small craft advisory was in effect for large swells. Yes, as was pointed-out above, the period was wide, but nonetheless, big waves were breaking on the reefs near the mouth of the harbor.

2. It was extremely foggy that morning. You needed radar just to get out of the harbor.

3. It is known that they left their slip on D dock at 0730 and the boat was spotted capsized ~1030...nothing else about there whereabouts or doings is known yet. N.B., the boat was sent to Drakes Marine where the Yamaha engine data recorder chip information will be analyzed. Additionally, the electronics were removed and shipped to Furuno to see if their route data for the fateful journey can be recovered.

4. While the boat owner was a seasoned fisherman, this was a relatively new boat for him (2007) and he was not very experienced with navigating Pillar Point Harbor (indeed, he had only been in/out of the harbor 3 times prior in fair weather). Also, he had only been in a temporary slip for ~3 months.

5. Both men were found inside the cabin. Both men were wearing PFD's. It is believed that when the boat capsized, their bodies simply floated into the cabin.

6. There was no crab line in their propeller. The line and buoy in the picture were placed there by the CG as a marker in case the boat sunk. Note also that there was no crabbing gear (e.g., puller, pots, etc.) found on the boat (friends of the men told the newspapers that the men were planning on catching fish for a church dinner that evening).

7. There was no indication of foul play...the incident is being treated as an accident by the sheriff.

My heart goes out to the family and friends of these fine men.

send me an email at alantani@yahoo.com for questions!