Geographic Harbor to Seward, Alaska
29 July 2016 | Boat position at noon: 58 15.505'N; 153 47.37'W
Pam Lau and Ted Berry
Picture: The fishermen quickly fueling their boat on the high seas after we gave them 12 gallons (approx 45 liters) of diesel. The lower right hand corner shows the view from the front of the boat.
We left Geographic Harbor at 07:00. The water was calm and windless until we got out into the Shelikof Strait; then the wind blew from the south at 25 knots, a favorable wind. We were sailing along beautifully so I took advantage the moment and had a nap until some VHF chatter woke me up. As I wiped the sleep from my eyes, Ted told me that we had to change course by 90 degrees to help a fishing boat that was out of fuel and drifting in choppy seas. The fishing boat had called the U.S. Coast Guard and in turn the Coast Guard called out to all boats in the area for assistance. Ted answered the call. We were only six miles away and had 24 gallons (91 liters) of diesel on deck in containers. By law we have to help so the Coast Guard ordered us to detour to aid the distressed craft. Regardless of the law we would have helped anyway.
When we changed course the wind and the engine pushed us at about 8 knots, very fast for us but we had to get there quickly. When we arrived at the rescue scene, the fishing boat, about 42 feet (12.8 meters), was rolling from side to side vigorously. We dared not get too close, otherwise it would pound our fiberglass vessel to pieces. We circled it a few times trying, unsuccessfully, to pick up their line. Finally Ted tied a line onto a six-gallon (about 22.7 liter) container of diesel, attaching a fender to help it float. We dropped it into the water and the young men aboard the fishing boat caught it with a boat hook and hauled it aboard their boat. It was quite a dramatic procedure with both boats rocking violently. We communicated via VHF and gave them one more container, making 12 gallons (about 45 liters) in total. At first they could not start the engine because they were completely out of fuel and must have had an airlock in the fuel line. We waited until they started the motor before we took off. That was enough fuel to take them to the nearby Kodiak Island group. We heard on VHF radio that they went to a calm anchorage and another fishing vessel pumped an additional 200 gallons directly into their tanks; enough to get them to Kodiak Harbor, about 8 hours away. That was an interesting experience for us. We were pleased that we could help someone at sea. Maybe it was Karma for S/V Kea helping us remove the Russian fishing net off the coast of Japan. (See blog entry "Flashback Japan to Alaska Day 1")