November 2005:

• At 9:45 pm a 20 foot Steury found itself disabled off Emma Wood State Beach and called for assistance. Captain Kris got underway but the mariner was able to cure his problem and the case ended up being a stand-down for the Stand Down King, Kris.

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• A Newport 27 sailboat named Nordic Star suffered engine failure and called for Vessel Assist. Captain Paul and deckhand Jason took the call and towed the boat to Ventura West Marina.

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• Northstar, a Columbia 30 sailboat with engine failure, was moved from its slip in Ventura Isle Marina to Ventura Harbor Boatyard for work on the engine. Captain Bev on Retriever did the move with Captain Paul and Butterdog along as deckhands.

• Soul Mate, a 42 foot trawler, ran out of fuel at Point Conception. Captain Kris was the hero who ran the 13 hour case on Assist Channel Islands. 83 gallons of fuel was delivered to the stranded vessel.

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• Dances with Dolphins, a Columbia 34, was moved from Ventura Harbor Boatyard to its slip in Ventura West Marina by Captains Paul & Bev, and Butter the Vessel Assist Dog.

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• Captains Paul and Gordon, on Retriever, did a dock to dock for vessel Destiny, a Westsail 32, which was going to Ventura Harbor Boatyard from its slip in Ventura Isle Marina. The reason for the move was an engine pull.

• The Captains at Vessel Assist Ventura would like to recognize the skipper of a 21 foot Duckworth, named Hooch, for his actions on behalf of another mariner. A mayday was heard on VHF Channel 16, alerting the Coast Guard to a situation involving a 19 foot Sea Ray on the front side of Santa Cruz Island, near Painted Cave. The Sea Ray had steering failure and without a VHF radio onboard they were unable to transmit a call for help. The skipper of the 21 foot Duckworth called the Coast Guard and relayed information on behalf of the Sea Ray. Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles responded on Channel 16 and then took the traffic to Channel 22. It was determined that the disabled vessel would not be able to make way under its own power to its homeport of Santa Barbara, and Coast Guard Boat 41365, out of Station Channel Islands, was dispatched.
  
  Coast Guard Sector LA asked if the 21 foot Duckworth would be willing to remain on scene with the disabled vessel until Coast Guard Boat 41365, out of Channel Islands, could respond, and the skipper readily agreed. There was a small craft advisory in The Santa Barbara Channel with conditions deteriorating and winds at 20 - 25 knots and increasing. The Coast Guard boat made slow progress because of the hazardous sea state and was delayed in its arrival. When the boat arrived on scene, the decision was made to remove the mariners from the Sea Ray and leave it anchored in Lady's Harbor, Santa Cruz Island. Vessel Assist Ventura boat, Assist Channel Islands, with Captain Kristopher Brause at the helm, then retrieved the vessel on Saturday, November 5, 2005, and towed it to Channel Islands Harbor where it was placed on the owner's trailer.
  
  The skipper of the 21 foot Duckworth, remained on scene with the Sea Ray until the Coast Guard could arrive. He stayed to offer assistance to the Sea Ray at his own peril, with full knowledge that delaying his departure back to Santa Barbara Harbor meant that he and his crew would have to face increasingly hazardous conditions in their own channel crossing. The captains at Vessel Assist Ventura would like to commend the skipper of the 21 foot Duckworth for his courage and his willingness to help another mariner, we're proud to share the water with him.

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• Captain Kris on Retriever moved a 40 foot Chriscraft to Ventura Harbor Boatyard with an all girl crew for assistance. The buyer of the Chriscraft, and some of her friends, came along to help Captain Kris - who was not complaining.

• A 22 foot Grady White with engine failure was towed to the Ventura launch ramp by Captain Kristopher Brause on Retriever. The Grady White was approximately four miles out of Ventura Harbor when he lost power.

• A 33 foot Cruiseon, with steering problems, was towed this evening from Ventura Harbor to a slip in Channel Islands Harbor by Captain Kris on Retriever.

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• A 42 foot Grand Banks trawler named My Sunshine suffered steering failure about five miles north-west of Ventura and was towed to Ventura Harbor Boat Yard by Captains Bev & Paul on Retriever. The helm was locked hard to port and the trawler tracked to port during the entire tow making the entrance into Ventura harbor challenging! No small craft were injured during this maneuver and the steering problem was fixed and the vessel was back on her way north the next day.

• At approximately 1700 hours Vessel Miss Coco encountered a fuel problem near San Nicholas Island. Communications were difficult since Vessel Assist Dispatch Center in Newport Beach could not pick up the mariner on VHF. Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles stepped in to relay, and between the Ventura base high site and the Coast Guard, it was established that a Vessel Assist boat should get underway to respond to the case since it was almost 60 miles from Channel Islands Harbor and the response time would be lengthy. Captain Kris on Assist Channel Islands left harbor but about an hour into the case the mariner was able to cure his problem and make way under his own power, and stood down the Stand Down King.

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• It was Captain Bev on Retriever who did the dock to dock for 25 a foot sailboat named Ventura. The boat was towed to its slip in the Ventura Keys from Ventura Harbor Boatyard where it had been hauled out for a refit.

• A Wellcraft 21, which had motored to the Channel Islands Fuel Dock, encountered mechanical problems and was unable to start the engine after fueling. A call came in to Vessel Assist and Captains Bev and Paul responded on Assist Channel Islands, safely towing the boat back to its slip in Anacapa Isle Marina.

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• Patricia, a Livesay power boat, encountered mechanical difficulty just off the power plant between Ventura and Channel Islands Harbor. A tool delivery was all that was required to get the vessel underway again. Captain Paul on Retriever ran the case.

• Skye Jaden, at Yellow Banks on Santa Cruz Island, discovered a fuel problem and called Vessel Assist. The call came in the afternoon and by the time Captain Paul on Assist Channel Islands got on scene with the disabled boat it was well after dark. The weather layed down a bit so the night time channel crossing was uneventful and boat was towed back to Channel Islands Harbor.

• After working the salvage all morning, and then delivering the casualty to the boat yard, Captains Kris and Gordon received a call from a Catalina sailboat in need of assistance a few miles out of Channel Islands Harbor so they responded on Assist Channel Islands, and towed the boat in to the harbor.

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• A 29 foot pleasure boat went down in its slip in Channel Islands Harbor's Anacapa Isle Marina. The salvage team, Captain Paul, Captain Kris, and Captain Gordon, along with spectators Captain Bev and Butter the Vessel Assist dog, responded. It required a number of 1,000 pound lift bags to refloat the vessel which had been partially stabilized by its docklines. Once the gunwales were clear of the water, a 110 pump was put on board and the boat was de-watered. No cause for the sinking was discovered, but marina neighbors reported a bilge pump had been running constantly for days. The boat was towed to Anacapa Marine Services for haulout. (PHOTO) (PHOTO 2) (PHOTO 3) (PHOTO 4) (PHOTO 5)

• Captain Paul responded to a Mariah 24 with engine failure in Channel Islands Harbor. Since Assist Channel Islands was on another case, Captain Paul and Retriever made the trip from Ventura base to Channel Islands and according to Captain Paul the conditions were sporty outside. The mariners on the Mariah were fortunate the boat broke down, with the Santa Ana conditions it wouldn't have been a fun trip for them anyway and it's always better to need help inside protected water!

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• Office, a Radon 28, 17 miles out of Ventura, found oil in the engine compartment and called Vessel Assist for a tow back into his home port, Santa Barbara Harbor. The Santa Ana winds were howling but Captain Kris on Assist Channel Islands managed to reach his tow and get him safely home.

• Bottom paint day for Assist Ventura. Graphics are on, it's looking good for Friday launch.

• Santana, a Bayliner 25 was disabled with a started problem off Summerland Beach, near Four Mile Reef. Captain Tom was the hero and Retriever was the tow boat. The vessel was safely towed to Santa Barbara Harbor.

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• Just outside Ventura Harbor entrance a Reinell 25 suffered engine failure. Captain Paul responded on Retriever, towing the boat back to the Ventura launch ramp.

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• Assist Ventura splashes! She'll be coming back out of the water after the first of the year for an engine repower and refit, so the improvements will continue, but for now she's at least sporting a shiny red paint job.

• Island Time, a Bertram 28, in position N 34 00.029, W 119 32.196 (Smugglers Cove, Santa Cruz Island), was disabled and in need of assistance from Vessel Assist. Captain Tom on Retriever responded and towed the boat back to Ventura Harbor.

• Captain Kris was dispatched to Westerly, a Radon 24 with outdrive failure. The vessel was safely towed back to Channel Islands Harbor.

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• A 22 foot Starfire with a fuel problem was disabled near Channel Islands Harbor. Captain Kris on Assist Channel Islands responded.

• Dock to dock for a Luhrs 32, from Ventura Isle Marina to Anchor's Way Boatyard, for an engine installation. It was Captain Bev on Retriever, along with deckhand Jason who did the tow.

• At 7 am a 20 foot mini-trawler, named Nomad, left Channel Islands Harbor destined for Santa Barbara. At 6 pm, when the vessel had still not reached its destination, the skipper and his passenger made the decision to return to Channel Islands. At approximately 10 pm they ran out of gas in their outboard engine and called Vessel Assist for a fuel drop. Dispatch center in Newport Beach reported that the vessel out of fuel did not have a GPS onboard but believed they were only a couple of miles outside of Ventura Harbor, so Captain Kris on Retriever left the harbor anticipating a short case. At midnight, when the disabled mariner had still not been located Captain Kris called base for assistance. For the next 5 hours a search was conducted for the vessel, utilizing a number of assets. Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol was unable to hear their radio transmissions. Channel Islands Harbor Patrol heard them loud and clear, deepening the mystery of their exact location. Coast Guard Sector Los Angeles used their radio direction finding equipment and came to the conclusion that they were somewhere west of Santa Barbara. Retreiver is not yet equipped with Radio Direction Finding Equipment so Captain Kris returned to base for Assist Ventura. It was not until daylight, and the vessel was located, anchored at Refugio Beach, that the skipper learned he was very far from where he thought he was. Lack of useful intelligence led to the wild goose chase and ultimately cost the mariner money. There was no GPS on board to aid the search party, so it was impossible to determine their exact location. The emergency equipment aboard the vessel was insufficient, there were no aerial flares, and only one handheld flare - not enough for Captain Kris to see from over 20 miles away! Coast Guard helicopter Search and Rescue out of Southern California was poised for an S&R deployment, but Captain Paul found the vessel in the nick of time. By extrapolation - 12 hours at 2 - 4 knots = 24 to 48 miles - it was decided that they had probably reached Point Conception before turning around. They then travelled for approximately 4 hours back in the direction from which they had come before running out of gas, so again extrapolating the data, we felt that they probably made between 8 and 16 miles in an south-easterly direction. That, in addition to the depth of the water where they dropped anchor, provided our best guess where they would be found. It was Captain Paul who located them at approximately 7:30 am on November 23rd, delivering enough fuel for them to make it to Santa Barbara where they planned to leave the boat until another day. After the rescue it was discovered that the mariners had rounded Point Conception, heading toward Point Arguello before they turned around. They had somehow missed Santa Barbara Harbor completely...... and the bad news for the mariners is that they were only $150 members so the cost of this tow was out of their pockets - minus the $150 that BoatUS paid. The moral of this story is: always carry a GPS, and upgrade your towing coverage to at least a Captain's Card! (PHOTO)

• A Livesay 21 needed Captain Kris' help getting back to the launch ramp in Channel Islands. It was a midnight case for Captain Kris and Assist Channel Islands.

• A 14 foot Avon RIB, launched from the Gaviota Pier, experienced mechanical failure and in the late afternoon, the owner called Vessel Assist for assistance. With offshore conditions building, and predicted to continue throughout the night, it was decided to wait until morning to attempt to tow the vessel to safety so the decision was made to anchor the RIB for the night at the pier.

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• A MacGregor 25 near the Hueneme Pier experienced engine failure and called for Vessel Assist. The boat, with 4 POB, managed to drop an anchor but the anchor was not holding. The Coast Guard was notified and monitored the situation until Captain Tom on Assist Channel Islands could get on scene with the nervous mariners. In the process of hooking the boat up to tow, the tow line was accidentally wrapped around the sailboat's keel so Captain Tom stripped to his skivvies and dived in the water to free it. So you think you want to be a tow boat captain?! A shivering Captain Tom climbed back out of the water and safely delivered the mariners to the Channel Islands launch ramp.

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• Alisa II, a 24 foot Radon suffered a fuel problem on the way to Santa Cruz Island on a fishing trip. Captain Tom, on Assist Channel Islands, responded but the skipper of the Radon managed to fix his problem and it ended up being a stand down.

• At daybreak, Captain Tom on Retriever, left Ventura headed for Gaviota. Tom and Retriever stopped in at Santa Barbara to pick up the owner of the Avon RIB for the rest of the trip. Approximately halfway to Gaviota the decision was made to abort the attempt, due to hazardous seas, and Retriever was turned around to Santa Barbara for the night.

• Running out of fuel ruined the fishing for the 17 foot Glastron in position N 34 05.9, W 119 18.1. The Glastron had no radio on board and cell phone communications were sketchy. Vessel Seabiscuit, out of Channel Islands Harbor, noticed the disabled vessel and diverted, remaining on scene with the mariners, and relaying via VHF radio for them until it was certain that assistance was on the way. Many thanks to Seabiscuit for taking the time to help a fellow mariner, it's good to know we share the water with skippers like this one. Captain Paul on Retriever responded to the Glastron with 10 gallons of gas and some two stroke oil and the mariners were on their way.

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• Captain Tom drew the short stick and got the call at 2:45 am to respond to the 31 foot Hunter sailboat named Family Naut. The mariners had sailed all the back from Catalina Island with engine failure and only needed our assistance in getting into their slip. Captain Tom and Assist Channel Islands safely put them away.

• A 24 foot Beechcraft lost battery power near Anacapa Island. Captain Paul on Retriever responded and gave the mariners a jump start and they were able to make their way back to Channel Islands Harbor under their own power.

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• Viva, an Islander 36, with two POB suffered engine failure in position N 34 06, W 119 16. These guys were great even though they lost their engine on the way out and their trip was spoiled, they had the right attitude and enjoyed their sail all the way back to the harbor entrance. Captains Bev & Paul and Butter the dog, on Assist Channel Islands, helped them back into their slip.

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• A 16 foot Hobie Skiff, with starter problems, was disabled outside the entrance to Channel Islands Harbor. Captains Bev & Paul and Butter the dog, assisted the mariner in getting back to Vintage Marina. Assist Channel Islands was the tow boat.

• APL China, a commercial freighter, spotted a mariner on a 23 foot Reinell, dead in the water, waving a handheld flare. The commercial freighter altered course to return to the disabled vessel and stood by, relaying a distress call for the boat. For some unknown reason the mariner was not able to issue a call for help on his VHF radio. Coast Guard station Channel Islands responded with the 47 foot cutter in order to stand by the disabled mariner and to relieve the merchant ship so that it could continue on its way. The cutter returned to base when Captain Paul on Assist Channel Islands arrived on scene. The Reinell was safely towed back to Channel Islands Harbor.

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• An engine pull for Kalana, a 39 foot Sea Wolf, was the reason for the dock to dock in Channel Islands Harbor. Captain Paul, Captain Bev and Butterdog responded on Assist Channel Islands.

• Scoots, a Davis 25 with 2 POB, suffered transmission failure in position 33 55.882 N, 119 58.238 W (East Point, Santa Rosa Island) and hailed Vessel Assist. The mariner's call for help was not heard at first, so Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol relayed information to Vessel Assist Ventura for the disabled mariner. Vessel Assist was finally able to bring him up on the VHF high site, and Captain Paul was dispatched on Retriever to tow the boat back to Santa Barbara Harbor, a lengthy case. Almost 12 hours later the vessel was safely in its home slip in Santa Barbara.