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The
Officers, Directors and Members of
US SAILING
are
pleased to present the
ARTHUR B. HANSON RESCUE MEDAL
to the
crew of
for the rescue as follows:
On July 21, 2002 at 8:30PM during the Chicago Yacht Club Race To
Mackinac, in the Straights of Mackinac, the 44-foot Chris White
Explorer, Caliente, was impaled by a squall with 50-80 knots of
wind, 5-7 foot seas with 70-degree water temperature. The screecher and
main sheets were let run, however, the wind pushed the nose of the
trimaran into the water, and the boat tripped over one
arm and capsized.
Tim Doran was separated from the boat with an inadequate PFD and
hailed for help. Mark Muehler jumped, and the two clung together,
supported by Muehler’s PFD. The upturned hulls acted like sails,
pushing the boat out of sight until its mast ran aground, ¼ mile away.
The remaining four crewmembers gathered on the upside down boat. They
cut the netting to retrieve their ditch kit. At 9:15PM, they fired a
flare, called a "Mayday" and turned on the EPIRB.
Doran and Muehler had swallowed and inhaled a lot of water, coughing
hard. Their strength was being zapped by the wave action, shock and the
cool water. They turned on a personal strobe light. The storm was
abating and the waves dropped to 2-4 feet. However, Doran was succumbing
to shock and his breathing shallowed. In his own words, he was
"clearly at the end of my rope."
Algomarine, a 730-foot Canadian freighter that was beyond this scene,
saw the flare, then turned around in the narrows of the Straights while
radioing the United States Coast Guard of the flare sighting. The
shallows of the reef prevented Algomarine from approaching Caliente, or
the two separated victims.
At 9:31PM, Kokomo, a Shock 55, after seeing the flare and hearing the
Mayday, arrived, with Algomarine radioing and pointing at Doran and
Muehler with their high powered arc spotlight. This shortcut got Kokomo
to Doran and Muehler quickly and they hauled the soaked sailors over
their stepped transom. The spotlight then swung to Caliente, Kokomo
turned and picked up two more pairs of sailors, with all recovered
successfully by 9:55PM. Kokomo provided dry clothes, sleeping bags for
warmth and hot lasagna to the victims. Kokomo received redress from the
Protest Committee, for the time spent saving her fellow sailors,
maintaining her first place finish.
Congratulations to the Crew of Algomarine, Captained by Neil Olsen,
for responding immediately to a Mayday situation, providing clear and
concise communications to the United States Coast Guard, relaying
critical information to Kokomo, and guiding Kokomo by priority to the
right place which assuredly saved a sailors life. US SAILING is pleased
to present the Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal in recognition of this
event.
Ron Trossbach, Chair
Safety at Sea Committee
by direction
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US SAILING
Board Member and Safety at Sea Committee member Gene T. McCarthy
presented the Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal to the Crew of
ALGOMARINE at
Chicago Yacht Club on Saturday, November 2, 2002. |
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US SAILING Director and Safety at Sea Committee member
Gene T. McCarthy (left), presenting the Arthur B. Hanson Rescue Medal
to Algomarine, represented by Al J. Vanagas (left middle)
Chicago Yacht Club Commodore Raymond Green (middle right)
and Chicago Yacht Club Mackinac Committee co-chair Rick
Lillie (right). |
Photo by Nick Hawkins |
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DETAILS:
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The United States Coast Guard provided the following to
Algomarine:
Mr. Tim S. Dool
President, Algoma Central Corporation
63 Church Street, Suite 600
St. Catherines, Ontario L2R 3C4
Dear Mr. Dool,
I would like to extend my sincere
appreciation to the captain and crew of the motor vessel ALGOMARINE
for the assistance they rendered on July 21st, 2002,
to the six-man crew of the sailing vessel CALIENTE. While
transiting the Straits of Mackinac, the ALGOMARINE
spotted a red flare fired from the capsized sailing vessel,
changed course proceeding toward the distressed vessel and
assisted in removing the crew from the water.
Coast Guard Search and Rescue operations were
clearly enhanced by the professional actions of your captain and
his crew. By virtue of their efforts, they became members of SAR
Team 9, the network of individuals who perform Search and Rescue
on our Great Lakes. Once again, please convey my thanks for
heeding the distress call.
Sincerely,
R. F. SILVA
Rear Admiral, U.S. Coast Guard
Nominators Name: Tim Doran, also nominated by Dean Cady on behalf of
Chicago Yacht Club
and Bill Luksha.
Event Name: Chicago Mackinac Yacht Race
Sponsoring Yacht Club: Chicago Yacht Club
Date of Event: 7/20/02
Event City: Chicago
Event State: IL./MI.
Date of Incident: 7/21/02
Body of Water: Lake Michigan
First Victims Name: Tim Doran
First Boat Name: Caliente
First Boat Length: 44'
First Boat Make Model: Chris White Explorer 44
Second Victims Name: Mark Muehler
Second Boat Name: Caliente
Second Boat Length: 44'
Second Boat Make Model: Chris White Explorer 44
Rescuing Skipper 1: Wesson Schulz
Rescuing1 Boat Make Model: Schock 55
Rescuing1 Boat Name: Kokomo
Rescuing1 Boat Length: 55'
Rescuing Skipper 2: Neil Olsen
Rescuing Boat2 Make Model: ALGOMARINE
Rescuing Boat2 Length: 730'
What was the nature of this incident: Capsize
Did a Mayday call go out: Yes
Who responded: ALGOMARINE & Kokomo
Was any injury sustained by the victim: N
Can your story be published: Y
Can you provide articles about this event: Y
Was a PFD worn: Y
What type: Musto "Bubble Pack"
What type1: Mustang Inflatable
What position was the victim working before they went in:
Furling Screacher
Was this day or night: Dusk.
Wind speed: 50-60+
Wave height: 2-4 feet
Water temperature: 70 F
Air temperature: 80F
How much time did the victim spend in the water: 90 minutes
What recovery method was used: Motor to victims then hauled aboard from
stern.
Did the victims boat lose site of the victim: Y
Did the victim have a strobe light or whistle: Yes, both
What color clothes were visible above the water: Not sure
Was a Lifesling aboard: Y
Was it used: N
Was the race sailed under ISAF regulations: Y
If so what category: 2
What happened:
We were caught in a Micro-burst approx. 30 miles from finish. Trimaran
Caliente pitch-poled and threw 5 of 6 crew into Lake Michigan at Gray's
Reef. Mark Muehler and I were in the water for 90 minutes. I stayed
afloat by hanging onto Mark. Mark was wearing a Mustang inflatable which
was enough to keep us both barely afloat.
What type of injuries, hypothermia included:
About the last 10-15 minutes my breathing started to get shallow and I
knew that shock was starting to set-in.
How did the victim get hoisted onto the deck: From stern of Kokomo.
Thanks for the reply. To the best of my knowledge the Captain of the
ALGO MARINE was the first vessel to respond to the S.O.S. sent by
Caliente. I believe he was responsible for guiding Kokomo to where Mark
and I were in the water using his spotlights and radio communications.
His involvement expedited Kokomo's rescue of Mark and myself. By the
time Kokomo picked us up I was clearly "At the end of my
rope", and any delay in retrieving at least myself would have made
the difference.
In reading some of the statements from the Coast Guard personnel the
fact that he maneuvered his ship in very tight quarters as well as the
risk of running it aground should at least garner honorable mention for
his efforts.
I was also wondering if there was a way to get a recording of the
radio transmissions from the vessels that participated in the search and
rescue. It might be useful as a teaching tool for how to execute a
successful rescue.
Look forward to your response and good luck this weekend, sail fast.
Best regards,
Tim Doran
I believe Kokomo would have seen our strobe light. However, having
the Algo Marine shine its search beacon on us made Kokomo's job a lot
easier. Certainly it would have taken Komoko longer to reach us. How
much longer is hard to estimate, but as you read in the article we
didn't have much time to spare. The Algo Marine's presence was crucial
for even it was about one half before we were hauled from the water, we
at least new rescue was on the way. I don't know what the wind speed was
at the time of our recovery other than to say it was considerably less
than when the storm hit us and capsized the Caliente.
When Mike Steck return home on Monday evening, there is a message
from the Coast Guard waiting for him on his answering machine.
Tim and I tried to bolster each spirits, especially prior to Algo
Marine's arrival. We prayed and did a lot of burping caused by the water
we had swallowed.
Mark Muehler |
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