T&T: Tugs and tows

[DD]

Just got to love them Westsails - remember, the Satori from the Perfect
Storm was a Westsail 32...


Greg Steckel
M/V Different Drummer
President 35 Sundeck
Fairlee Creek, MD
www.fmyc.org
www.chesapeakebayboater.com
 

-----Original Message-----
From: clyde fernortner [mailto:garbage7 at wavecable.com]
Sent: Friday, November 14, 2008 7:26 PM
To: trawlers-and-trawlering at lists.samurai.com
Subject: T&T: Tugs and tows

had a friend many yrs ago, with a westsail 28...was out between bainbridge,
and seattle, and it got dark on them...had a young (16) family friend with
him...asked the kid if he knew how to steer, etc...so he gave him the
tiller, and went below to do stuf...pionted the way, lites to steer for,
etc...but...he did`nt plan on the foss tug, towing 2 barges...remember, it
was dark...he went behind the tug, and in front of the first barge! it hit
them broadside, rolled them over, and over under the barge...they popped out

from the first one, and the little 28ftr righted itself, the two guys were
really shook up, but made it thru, then the second barge hit them! same
thing, rolled under, etc...bote made it agn...both ended up below, in the
cabin, getting thrown all over, etc...they made it thru without being
injured to bad, and someone helped, and towed them in to a marina...i got
the story from the owner that was on the bote...the part that`s hard to
believe is, they fixed the bote!! they say westsails are tuff botes...that
story, and seeing it in the yard, made me a believer! have another friend
that ran tugs for many yrs...he had a lot of stories abt guys cutting in
front of him when he was doing abt 12/14 knots, and making a 7ft bow wave! i

always go by the rule of...'big has the right-of-way'...always...c