November 2006:

• Captains Bev and Paul delivered crew and gear to the Scripps research vessel the Roger Revelle. The boat set up a rendezvous point just south of Point Pitas, near Ventura Harbor. Maverick was the delivery vessel. (PHOTO)

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• Captain Randy responded to the call for help from the Skipjack 24, Misty, anchored at Scorpion Anchorage, Santa Cruz Island. The disabled boat was towed back to Ventura Harbor by Retriever.

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• Captain Jason responded to the call for assistance from the Newport 30 named Gitana, disabled in Channel Islands Harbor. The mariners were able to sail around while waiting for Captain Jason and Assist Channel Islands to arrive. The boat was towed back to its slip in Channel Islands Harbor Marina.

• Captain Randy got up early to tow the disabled mariner aboard the 22 foot Bayliner back from Pedro Point, Santa Cruz Island. The destination was Ventura Harbor so Retriever was the tow boat.

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• Captain Randy responded to the distress call from the 21 foot Fiberform disabled and anchored near Port Hueneme, needing a tow back to Channel Islands Harbor. The mariners reported that they had just bought the boat. Assist Channel Islands was the tow boat.

• Captains Jason, Randy, Beverly and Paul displayed Maverick and Retriever at the Ventura County Fire and Rescue Expo at the Ventura Harbor Village. Vessels and representatives were there from the Ventura County Sheriff's Department, California State Lifeguards, United States Coast Guard, Ventura County Fire Department and Ventura Harbor Patrol. The Ventura Harbor Patrol set alight a derelict boat so the Harbor Patrol fire boat could display its ability to quickly douse a boat fire. A number of participants played the role of "victim" and jumped from the burning boat into the water to be rescued by the Sheriff's Department rescue team on jet skis. A Ventura County Rescue helicopter staged another demonstration, deploying rescue swimmers, before landing in the parking lot for inspection. The Expo lasted until 1600. (PHOTO 1) (PHOTO 2) (PHOTO 3) (PHOTO 4) (PHOTO 5) (PHOTO 6) (PHOTO 7)

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• Captain Randy broke away from the Rescue Expo to respond to the Catalina 36 taking on water in Channel Islands Harbor. The boat was towed to Channel Islands Harbor Boatyard for haulout and repair. Assist Channel Islands was the tow boat.

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• Captain Randy, onboard Assist Channel Islands, assisted a 25 foot Searay with a dead battery inside Channel Islands breakwall.

• Captain Beverly towed the 21 foot Seaswirl, disabled at the Ventura Harbor Village docks, to the Ventura launch ramp. The owner and his six children had been out for a day of boating when his outboard died and would not start. The kids reported that they did make it to the ice cream shop though so all was not lost. Retriever was the tow boat, and Butter and Maddie were the crew.

• Captains Jason and Paul towed the Major Engineering work barge from Ventura Harbor to Channel Islands Harbor. It was a long tow, the heavy unwieldy barge would only move at 2 knots no matter how much power was applied. Assist Channel Islands was the tow boat. (PHOTO 1) (PHOTO 2)

• Captain Jason saved the day for the 25 Livesay, Patricia, disabled in Channel Islands Harbor. The boat lost its engine and needed a tow back to the launch ramp. Assist Channel Islands was the tow boat.

• Captain Randy was the go-to guy for the sailboat, named Last Resort, disabled near Port Hueneme. The boat lost its engine and was unable to sail towards its destination, Ventura Harbor. Retriever was the tow boat.

• Long Tow Tom responded to the distress call from the Boston Whaler disabled 8 miles above Gaviota. The mariners had lost power so they called Vessel Assist and then anchored and waited for help to arrive. It was four hours before Captain Tom arrived on scene with the unlucky mariners, and seven and half after that before the boat was safely tied up to the launch ramp in Santa Barbara. Captain Tom still had another hour and a half to go before he was back at base with Retriever and could go home for the night.

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• Voodoo Lady, a Seacraft 24, ran out of fuel at San Pedro Point, Santa Cruz Island and called Vessel Assist for a fuel drop. Captain Randy, onboard Assist Channel Islands, responded with 20 gallons of gas and soon had the mariners on their way again.

• Captains Bev and Paul assisted Ventura Harbor Boatyard in moving crewboat, Patrick. The big red boat needed to go into the haulout ways from an adjacent slip. Retriever was the tow boat and sustained minor injuries in the move. Captain Bev didn't see that the radar arch on Retriever's house was dangerously close to the overhang on the big crewboat until she heard the screech that signified collision. Fortunately the only casualties were the plastic housing on the loud hailer, and the radio antenna. Retriever was back online by the next day.

• Captain Randy rescued the Bayliner 23, Bounty, towing the boat back to Channel Islands Harbor. Apparently, the boat suffered a problem with the prop necessitating the call to Vessel Assist. Retriever was the tow boat.

• It was a trip to the boatyard for an engine installation that required Captain Randy's attention. The Chriscraft 33, Sea-Renity, just needed some help in getting to the hoist so the new equipment could be installed. Retriever was the tow boat.

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• Captains Jason and Randy helped Isis go from her slip to the boatyard for an engine installation. Retriever was the tow boat.

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• Free Dume, a Hobie Skiff 16, disabled near Point Dume, was the object of Captain Randy's attention. The boat had suffered engine failure and needed to go back to the Marina del Rey launch ramp, a healthy tow for Captain Randy and Retriever. It was almost 10 hours before they were safely back at base.

• Isis went back to her slip after the new engines were installed at Anchor's Way Marine Center. Captains Jason and Randy were the captains and Retriever was the tow boat.

• Sea Ray, Kai Elena, needed some assistance getting back to the slip from a position approximately 8 miles offshore. The mariners called Vessel Assist and then got their problem sorted out, but a few minutes later the engine faltered again so Captain Randy turned back around and made way to their position. Retriever was the tow boat.

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• A 22 foot Seaswirl, disabled just south of Ventura Harbor, called Vessel Assist for some help. Captain Randy and Retriever towed the boat to the Ventura Harbor launch ramp.

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• Merrimac 5, a Downeast 31, suffered engine failure about 7 miles out of Ventura Harbor and called Vessel Assist for a tow back to the Ventura Keys. Captain Randy and Retriever responded.

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• Fast Cash, an Owens 27, lost engine power and called Vessel Assist for a tow. The boat was towed to Channel Islands Harbor. Randy and Assist Channel Islands were the rescue team of the day.

• Skipjack 24, Mary Jeanette, lost engine power and drifted onto a dock at the new docks near Cisco's Sportfishing in Channel Islands Harbor. Captain Randy and Retriever responded, towing the boat back to its slip in the Small Boat Marina.

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• Captain Randy, on Retriever, went to the rescue of the mariners aboard the 21 foot Seaswirl, The Other Woman. The boat had lost engine power coming in to Ventura Harbor so the mariners had dropped an anchor, but after calling Vessel Assist they determined that their anchor was dragging. Ventura Harbor Patrol responded to the emergency, stabilizing the situation until Captain Randy and Retriever could get on scene. Captain Randy was only about 2 minutes behind the Harbor Patrol so he took over the tow and safely delivered the boat to the Ventura launch ramp.

• Den Jan T, a Luhrs 32 with 2 POB, suffered prop failure in position N 34:07.440, W 119:24.320, and called Vessel Assist for a tow. Captain Randy, on Retriever, responded, towing the boat safely back to Ventura Harbor Village.

• Captains Paul and Randy moved 32 foot Grand Banks trawler, Mollie Brown, from its slip in Ventura West Marina to Ventura Harbor Boatyard for an engine pull. Retriever was the tow boat.

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• Captain Randy holds the long tow title for this week. A 17 foot Reinell lost engine power while on a voyage to Point Conception. The three mariners onboard were surfing and when they tried to return to Santa Barbara they found that their boat was not functional. They called Vessel Assist and then went surfing while waiting the four hours for Retriever to get on scene. It was a 15 hour case for Captain Randy before all was said and done and poor Captain Randy ended up running out of fuel on Retriever and having to hitch a tow from the Santa Barbara Harbor Patrol! (PHOTO)

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• Vessel Assist responded by Ford F-150 to a sailboat being pulled out of the water and put on a trailer for a trip to British Columbia. The boat had suffered some difficulty at the Ventura Harbor launch ramp and needed some assistance in getting up the ramp. With Captains Jason and Paul's assistance the mariner and her boat were soon on their way north.

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• Captains Jason, Bev, and Paul, along with Maddie and Butterdog, responded to the 33 foot Searay, Change of Pace, disabled near Anacapa Marine Services. The boat was unable to motor back to its home slip in Westport Village, Channel Islands Harbor so the owner called Vessel Assist for a tow. Assist Channel Islands was the tow boat.

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• Captain Jason, onboard Maverick, went to the rescue of Limbuku, a Columbia 28 sailboat, disabled in Ventura Harbor. The boat needed a tow to its slip in Ventura Isle Marina.

• Captain Paul went to the rescue of Pancho, a 21 foot Seaswirl, disabled in the gap between Santa Cruz and Anacapa Islands. The boat was towed back to Channel Islands Harbor, Assist Channel Islands was the tow boat.

• Captain Randy took 32 foot Grand Banks Mollie Brown back to her slip from Ventura Harbor Boatyard. Retriever was the tow boat.

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• Running out of gas spoiled the day for the 20 foot Holiday Cruiser just outside Santa Barbara. Captain Tom delivered some fuel and the boat was able to make way under its power back to the harbor. Retriever was the tow boat.

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• Captain Tom was true to his name, Long Tow Tom went to the assistance of the boat disabled just outside Santa Barbara Harbor. A little fuel solved the problem and the boat was soon underway on its own power so Tom and Retriever returned to base.

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• Captain Randy responded to the short case just outside Channel Islands Harbor at 2200. The boat lost all electrical power and had no lights or radio. Assist Channel Islands towed the boat safely back to the launch ramp in Channel Islands.

• Captain Jason moved a Reinell 26 from Anacapa Isle Marina to the launch ramp in Channel Islands Harbor. Assist Channel Islands was the tow boat.

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• A 22 foot sailboat unable to hoist its sail and unable to make way with its outboard, called for assistance. The winds were gusty and the mariners were not certain of their position so Coast Guard Station Channel Islands responded with Boat 41365 and stood by to make certain the mariners were not in immediate danger. The ultimate destination for the disabled boat had been Marina del Rey so the Coast Guard towed them around Point Dume and anchored them in the lee of the point until Captain Randy and Assist Channel Islands could get on scene. When Captain Randy arrived he took the boat under tow and a few hours later safely delivered the vessel along with all three persons on board to their slip. Since it was midnight, he then found a transient slip for the night and went to sleep, waking at about 4 am and departing Marina del Rey for Channel Islands Harbor.

• Captain Randy went to the aid of Sneaky Pete, disabled near Pitas Point. Retriever was the tow boat.

• Captains Paul, Jason and Randy moved a 100 foot crewboat for Ventura Harbor Boatyard. Retriever was the tow boat.