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Event: Berkeley Yacht Club Friday Night Series, Berkeley California, San
Francisco Bay, August 3, 2001 in the evening between 7 and 8PM.
Rescuing boat: Casual Contact--J24.
Skippered by Ned Walker.
Names of victims: Doug Chew-skipper of Merit 25, Challenger-picked up by
Casual Contact, Taryn Ettle-picked up by Casual Contact, Walter
Martin-picked up by Casual Contact, Dave Johnson (picked up by vessel
that hit Challenger, Argonaut).
Skipper and owner of rescuing boat: Edward (Ned) Walker.
Crew names of rescuing boat: Mariko Tanaka, Tim (Mick) McGuinness, Jack
Ehlers, Caroline Walker.
Nature of incident: Collision and sinking with victims in the water.
Did a Mayday call go out? yes.
Coast Guard, Berkeley PD, and Berkeley Fire Department-paramedics
responded-USCG and Berkeley PD responded to scene of
collision-Paramedics and other police met victims and rescuer at the
docks of OCSC (Olympic Circle).
Injuries sustained? Yes.
Nature of injuries? Mild hypothermia, sprains and whiplash backaches
requiring out patient treatment and analgesics. The skipper of the Merit
and one of the crew members were hurled from the Merit by the force of
the collision.
Ned gives his permission to have this story published. There is an
article due out in September Latitude 38.
PFD specific questions: PFDs were worn by all. Doug Chew had a
Type II on at time of rescue (possibly donned during
abandonment?). Taryn Ettle-Type I, Dave Johnson-Stearns belt
pack-ripped off during collision, put on a Type II after collision,
Walter Martin-Type II.
Positions before overboard? Driver, trimmer, foredeck, mast.
Evening race.
wind speed 20 knots, average, gusts to 25.
Waves 2-3 feet.
Water temperature 50-55 degrees.
Air temperature 60 degrees.
Victims spent 25-30 minutes in the water.
Casual Contact used a close reach approach and luff to stop procedure to
pick up the victims. (essentially used the last part of a quick turn
maneuver or figure eight maneuver, since Casual Contact had not lost the
victims and was not returning to pick them up) Put them to leeward of
the J24, but kept them aft of the shrouds to protect them.
Rescue swimmer? not needed.
Victims have strobes, lights or whistles? Yes.
What color clothes were visible above the water? None.
Was the victim able to help in the recovery? Yes.
In what way? see account of story.
How did the victim get hoisted from water level up onto the deck?
two victims were pulled by Casual Contact Crew over the leeward quarter
of the boat- and one was helped over the transom, using the lowered
adjustable engine bracket.
Not sailed under ORC special regulations.
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Doug Chew
Challenger, a Merit 25, was traveling about 5 knots, closehauled, on the
starboard tack layline approaching racing mark E for a starboard side
rounding. At the same time, two other boats, La Bruha and Argonaut, were
approaching E on port tack. La Bruha, a Santana 22-like sloop, was on
the inside. Argonaut is a 18,500 lb. J40. La Bruha ducked our stern.
Argonaut tried to bear off to duck out stern but couldn't clear us. When
I could tell a collision was highly likely, I gave the "Ready
About" command. I turned Challenger head-to-wind and what must have
been past it (after Challenger was raised I noticed three wraps around
the starboard side jib winch). The hit occurred on our aft port quarter.
Challenger was capsized like a dinghy until Argonaut extracted itself
from her, and the collision also spun "Challenger" back over
onto starboard. I was immediately thrown back first from the cockpit
high side into the water. One other crew member was thrown into the
water, too. After much struggle to get me aboard, the three of us on
board tried to recover the 4th member. Unfortunately, our combined
weight was heeling the boat over far enough to dip the collision hole
underwater. After the 4th member was on board, I noticed the cockpit
awash in water. I looked into the cabin and saw the water level just as
high. I then felt the cockpit fall away from my feet and I was suddenly
afloat again. I realized that she was not going to make it and, to
prevent anyone from getting caught on the rigging as the boat was about
to sink completely, I gave the "Abandon Ship" command.
"Argonaut" had tossed us a horseshoe with a man-over-board
pole attached. I keep a VHF attached to my lifevest so I put out the
"Mayday" call. (I later learned that Argonaut had not done
so.) Argonaut tried to pick us up with a Lifesling, and and after about
10 minutes, they were finally able to reel in one of us. After what felt
like another 10 minutes, other race boats were returning from the
leeward mark. One boat made a failed attempt to reach us. Not too long
after that, I saw the bow of another boat approaching us on starboard
tack. This boat was Casual Contact, a J24 skippered by Ned Walker. Ned
brought Casual Contact in for a perfect landing, stopping right next to
us. Two of us were hauled aboard on the leeward side, aft quarter of the
boat, and the third came over the stern. We went below Casual Contact to
keep warm as Ned sailed us back to the Berkeley Yacht Club. A few days
after the accident, I saw a doctor for pain to my left wrist. The 4th
crewmember saw a doctor for back and both left/right elbow injuries.
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Edward W. Walker
We were sailing in a Friday night Berkeley Yacht Club "beer
can" race around the Berkeley Circle in San Francisco Bay. After
two years of cajoling, I had finally convinced my 13-year old daughter
to race with us in my J-24, Casual Contact, but we were short a
foredeck. With the wind at the start of the race gusting to 25 knots and
waves at 2-4 feet or so, we decided discretion was the better part of
valor and that we wouldn't fly the kite. We had a good windward and then
leeward leg, which put us in good shape at the first leeward mark, with
one boat which owed us time ahead. As we made our way up the second
windward leg, we spotted a sailboat (which turned out to be a Merit 25,
"Challenger, skippered by Doug Chew) close to the windward mark
that seemed to be in distress, pinned up against the two mile long (now
no longer functional) Berkeley pier with its main and jib still up.
There were a number of larger sailboats which appeared to be motor
sailing around the distressed boat, and I assumed that they were going
to throw the Merit a line and tow it to safety. We approached the scene
on starboard trying to discern what was happening, and then tacked to
port toward the windward mark as we got close. At that point, two
members of my crew spotted three heads in the water, about 75 yards off
our port quarter and maybe 30-40 yards from the pier, huddled together
with a man overboard pennant below them on a line they were holding on
to. I told my daughter to go below, tacked back to starboard toward the
figures in the water, and dropped the headsail. All of us had practiced
man-overboard drills countless times in various size boats in training
sessions at the club we sail out of, the Olympic Circle Sailing Club (OCSC)
in Berkeley, so I was confident we could get three people in the water
onto our boat more quickly than the larger boats which seemed to be
having difficulty in the wind and waves maneuvering near the pier. We
approached the three figures on a close reach, with our foredeck/mast,
Mariko Tanaka, acting as a spotter. As we neared, I luffed the main and
brought them under our lee. The trimmer, Jack Ehlers, and tactician,
Mick McGuinness, helped drag the three on board. After getting them on
board we accelerated and tacked back to port to clear the pier. It
turned out that the Merit had been struck on the first upwind leg by a
J-40 and that, with the boat rapidly taking on water, they had abandoned
ship. The three crew members we picked up had been in the water about
25-30 minutes. A fourth crew member had been taken aboard the J-40. We
immediately returned to the Berkeley Marina, where an EMS team was
waiting. A Coast Guard boat as well as a Berkeley Police boat arrived
perhaps 5-10 minutes after the victims were taken out of the water. The
victims were taken to OCSC and treated for mild hypothermia by the OCSC
staff-blankets, hot drinks and dry clothes where possible while EMTs and
police interviewed them and checked their vitals to ensure there would
be no post incident shock or trauma.
My crew handled the situation calmly and with skill. We were all
grateful that we had so much practice at OCSC with man-overboards that
we were able to go into automatic pilot and get the very cold victims on
board quickly.
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NEWS FLASH: "OCSC'S, NED WALKER & HIS CREW RESCUE 3 SAILORS
out of the San Francisco Bay this past Friday night."
Using skills learned at OCSC, Ned Walker and his crew of OCSC members
pulled three sailors out of the Bay after their Merit 25 was struck and
sunk by a larger 40 yacht during a Berkeley Yacht Club sponsored Friday
Night Race last Friday night.
Ned was sailing upwind, North of the Berkeley Pier when he noticed
several boats circling near the pier. Although he was racing his J24,
Casual Contact, (J#34), he stopped racing and sailed to the scene.
There were four people in the water and the Merit 25 was resting on
the shallow bottom with her mast above water. As many as 10 boats
attempted to offer assistance but with the strong breeze, seemed to have
difficulty getting their boats slowed into a position to be of any help.
Ned and his crew immediately whipped over and with one approach were
able to retrieve 3 of the 4 crew of the sunken Merit. They then sailed
back to the Berkeley Marina where
the Coast Guard and paramedics were waiting. The fourth crew was
brought in by the boat that survived the collision. The four were
wrapped in blankets, brought into OCSC for a cup of hot tea and to thaw
out while being interviewed by the Coast Guard. While all four were in
shock and showed signs of hypothermia, they appeared to be in good
spirit nonetheless.
Our proudest congratulations to Ned Walker, Mick McGuinness, Jack
Ehlers, Mariko Tanaka and Ned's daughter Caroline for their immediate
and competent response to a situation we all prepare for, but rarely are
forced to face.
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