Tragic accident: USCG & pleasure boat

No more contemptible than the CGmen operating in an unsafe manner. If he would have crossed the bay and went down the channel, there wouldn't have been an issue. If the President is not above the law, then neither is the USCG. The CG vessel operator was not following the rules and an accident happened. While you may feel 13 people on a 26' boat is excessive (and considering a good number of them were children and they were operating on protected waters right around the corner from their dock to just sit and watch fireworks, I don't agree with your assessment. I've operated many 26'- 30' boats licensed for 49pax, and there's a whole bunch of 28'-35' boats licensed to carry 20pax or 12 with full dive gear and tanks) it was not in violation of any of the operating rules. The USCG vessel violated several of them. Regardless the USCGs tasked duties and what they may do for someone in another situation, in this one (and quite a few others I've observed over the years) they screwed the pooch and killed a kid while injuring others, and not only that, they couldn't fulfill their duty to the "emergency" they were responding to there by putting even more people at risk by their reckless actions.

There is no excuse available for this accident.

God forbid, if I ever get into a life-or-death situation, I sure hope the CG doesn't take their time getting there.

I also highly doubt the 26-30' boats you've run in the past were Sea-Ray/Rinker/Bayliner bowriders rated for 49+ passengers.

Apples to oranges.

It appears that someone may have missed this from post #14: "Lest there be any mistake let me state that I believe that the helmsperson on the CG vessel will be found primarily at fault, but there are lessons to be learned on both ends".
It also appears that someone had a track on the coast guard vessel: "If he would have crossed the bay and went down the channel, there wouldn't have been an issue".
I think those looking to quick judge the Coast Guard should consider telling the coasties come at idle speed the next time they are in an emergency situation.

In this case the death was that of an 8 year old child and nothing has been reported about the boat that was supposedly grounded.

The USCG has not published anything about saving the lives of the passengers and crew of a grounded vessel. In a port with a surplus of naval, police, and private marine assets dedicated to search and recovery in such a small area, I would like to know how this CG crew figured it was the only hope.

I hope that if you ever get in a life or death situation it does not cost the life of an innocent bystander.

This tragedy is the result of a mentality that has cost many innocent lives in the loss of med-evac helicopters, ambulance crews, fire and rescue vehicles, and police cars due to overenthusiasm. The 33 footer crew didn't locate a grounded vessel, and the other CG asset had to rescue the dying and wounded. So tell me again what virtue underscores this event.

In every life or death situation I've had the CG respond to, they responded with either a helicopter or a C-130.

I don't want them responding slowly either, but I do want them to get there. If they would have been operating in a safe manner at a safe speed, they would have actually made it to where they were called to. When they get in an accident, that's a much greater delay than adding a 1/2 a mile to the trip. It's the same as racing, you run hard, but you have to finish to win. If you don't cross the finish line, it doesn't matter how fast you ran off the starting line. What is the time difference running 3 miles at 20 kts or at 40 kts? These guys cost us, the taxpayer, a lot of money the other night because you know that there is going to be over a million dollar settlement out of this.

i love all the diffrent view's of this bad accident wich should have never taken place , some one mentioned the CG from kodiak ak i can speak from experiance they are not the same ,the CG in ak and all of the north west are buy far easer better smarter more thoughtfull and observant than there counter part's in so cal .

and lastly if i was in trouble in so cal the CG would not be the first call i wound make there are better agencies to deal with

happy holiday's travler

The press release that I read said there was 13 people combined on the two vessels. The coasties have turned into Blackwater wannabe's, there is no reasonable excuse for speeding thru a anchorage area in the dark. The uscg record here on the Great Lakes, ie MESQUITE (sunk), MACKINAW, (collision with pier)! Station Grand Haven (propeller strike to head resulting in death)is a sad testimony to there nautical skills and operational procedure's

Homeland security and the DEA has increased their law enforcement duties on a shrinking budget. Somewhere it has to give. Of course that would happen in the least visible spots, i.e. search & rescue and training. We elected the guys who decided this. So, you know where the complaints need to go. In the mean time they are what we have. Anybody care to ply the waters without them or is there a suggestions on where to get the money for better training or more coverage? Anybody care to do their job for the salaries they recieve? These people need and deserve our strong support (not that they shouldn't be held responsible when they screw up). If we want them to be trained better we need to lobby our represtatives, not make them afraid to do their job.

As one who has watched them take an injured shipmate off by helicopter far out in the Bering sea I have great respect for that aspect of their work but it wouldn't rip me up if they stuck to S&R offshore and in remote areas like Alaska and left the inshore and domestic policing to others better trained, equipped and qualified to do it. There are things the CG does well and is well trained to do but playing water cops around other boats doesn't seem to be one of them.

They used to do a great job of ship inspection and licensing. That too has gone down the tubes under the cloak of Homeland Sekurity.

Ask yourself if you would be making the same defense if it was a SeaTow or its equivalent that whacked the child.

Absolutely not. That would just be a company doing its job for a good hunk of change, although I'd sure respect them for doing that job. I get the feeling that you and I agree that it would be great if the CG could get back to the job they're best at. Unfortunately I don't see that happening any time soon but we all know where to make the suggestion. In the mean time we should remember that these are our sons and daughters serving their country. Kids holding great responsibility. Hate to tell you how many times I screwed up or yes, been reckless when I was 21 or so.

So you basically hold the USCG to a lower standard than the rest of the boating community. They can pull your ticket for doing this exact same thing, but it is ok if they do it. Give me a break!

Hello everyone, I know I read this forum more than I post but I feel very strongly about this. I am a Coast Guard veteran of 6 years. I was a boat coxswain and boarding officer as well as being assigned to a busy cutter an extremely busy small boat station, and TACLET I feel I have the experience to post. With this being said I am in no way sticking up for or defending the operator of the 33ft CG vessel but I will defend the CG as a whole. For those who have not served in the CG, the CG has an extremely difficult job. When you report to duty you have no idea what your day entails. You may be conducting counter narcotics, migrant interdiction, investigating a fuel spill, respond to a possible flare sighting, arrest a BWI, save a couple kayakers, and dewater a Chris Craft all in a shift. So I find it a bit confusing when mariners with so much experience and so many sea stories like Mr Henning have only bad things to say of the CG. Capt Henning you state that the CG realy screwed up you friends boat, but they did their job and pulled him from the water they didn't overturn his boat he did. You also stated that you have been in so many life and death situations that the CG only sends C-130 and Helos, simply not true and sir if you have truly had that many life and death experiences where you had to call the dreaded CG, then maybe a shore side career would be a better fit for you. Guys again im not trying to defend the actions of the CG in this terrible and unfortunate situation but please remember the USCG is the premier maritime organization in the world. All you salty dogs on here when things go south in a hurry remember the first one you are going to call is that 21yo kid from the CG. Thanks for reading Scott

So you basically hold the USCG to a lower standard than the rest of the boating community. They can pull your ticket for doing this exact same thing, but it is ok if they do it. Give me a break



Yes they can pull your ticket, and I promise his quals will be pulled and there will be diciplinary action taken..

You may have missed this:"The major blame may well (and IMHO rightly so) go to the CG captain",
and this:"Lest there be any mistake let me state that I believe that the helmsperson on the CG vessel will be found primarily at fault"
and this:"This sounds like it will come down to inadequite training and experience on the part of both operators"
Do I need to do any more reading for you Captain?
Hopefully you don't look at the CG's action with that same biased eye much longer.

You are so far off base here.

1 The US coast Guard has jumped into this homeland security game with both feet for all the money they can scoop up. For years the coast guard under the department of trasnsportation had a very slim budget,They got crumbs that no others wanted. Since 2001 their budget has been unlimited. They even consider their primary role homeland defense not life saving. They think that pointing guns at united states citizens is their primary purpose. It gets them more money for every boat they they stop and search. its called justification for new defense cutters,weapons, training and larger commands. I have a son who has been and still is on the front line concerning terrorism and defense, hell besides speaking farsi and almost killed by mortars ,RPGs,IEDs,AK47 rounds.He tells me this is all a game the CG is playing to get a bigger piece of the unlimitted homeland security cash pie. Do they really think the next terrorist act is going to be stopped by alienating the eyes and ears of the water front? US . United States Citizen boaters that would be the first to question something suspiscious that was planned on the water????

A. I don't belive there is anything on the water that Henning hasn't done or doesn't know.
B. I think there is some resentment toward the CG in this matter, as I feel that if I had been the CG boat operator(operating a non goverment vessel) I would probably be in custody at this time. Maybe the boat operator is getting raked over the coals? I just hope that they are treating the private boat operator in the same manner as the CG boat operator. From my personal experince and gut feeling, if there was no death in this case, the CG would be grilling the private boat operator and if he had a license, he would have no choice but to take it. I and my family member have been unfairly treated by CG investigations on numerous time. I deal with CG vessel inspections on a monthly basis and find some sectors great and some to be huge A holes, but if you really disect what makes me describe them as A holes it really comes down to a particular person or persons. This situation is horrific and really need to be looked at on a case by case situation. But it really comes down to an operator trying to do what seemed like a nessacarry thing at the time and now has to live with a mental disaster and that goes for both the CG operator and the private boat operator.

Total crock! Please explain the closing of the Moriches Station in my back yard and the multitude of other station closings if they have all this money coming in. You describe a quota system like some cops once had. Rediculous! In 21 years of professional boating I have been boarded possibly 3 times. Never was a gun drawn. The CG always acted professional and with courtesy. You could see their minds initially do a mental threat assessment as a cop does with a traffic stop and then it was on to making sure I was safe. Sure, some are better at their job than others. Sure they make mistakes. Sure, they sometimes totally screw up. but I repeat: these are our sons and daughters serving their country. Kids holding great responsibility. They deserve our respect and gratitude. They will not sweep this accident under any rug. If you have a problem with their current mission, training, operating tactics, etc. lobby your congressman. If you have a problem with an individual contact his station commander. If all of your contacts with the CG are bad though you might want to look at how you are acting.

I have a great amount of respect for the USCG. I think that most of them are very well trained and very skilled. However, I have been boarded more then a few times in the last few years. Everytime I am about to be boarded I speak to them on the radio and ask them if they want me to come to a complete halt or maintain course and direction. Of the ones running the 33' aluminum outboard boats with the foam sides, 1/2 of the times they have pulled up against me they have slammed into the boat I was running with enough force it downright made me look at the spot for damage, one made me almost fall on the deck and I was on a 50' SF. Some of them can handle the 33's very well. BUT, some of them have no business at the helm of this boat and their vessel handling skills are very poor. Most of the time I've been boarded it's been a training mission for them and they didn't know how to properly pronounce what they were looking for. These were mostly in Port Everglades.

Shouldn't the Coast Guard respond to a call going as fast as conditions safely allow? If it was during the San diego boat parade and there were anchored vessels all over the place, they should be cruising at a slower speed I would think. And, a grounded vessel does not sound like a life or death situation.

I can certainly understand a bit of resentment in this matter with the CG. I have no doubt that the CG will handle the operator in an appropriate matter. You say you may be in custody if you were athe private boat operator and this mat be true if that is what your locality chooses but it was a CG member and will be dealt with under the UCMJ. If you truly feel the CG would be grilling the private boat operator if there was no death you are gravely wrong. Any incedent a CG member is involved in is thouroughly investigated an often times all quals are pulled until the member can be cleared. It also alarms me that you say you deal with lots of A-holes and some not. I oversee lots or Tboat and commercial inspections and have conducted more CG boardings than I can count and I find you are an Ahole if you follow the rules but are COOL if you look the other way.

Guys also please remember that the CG is always training. Personel are reassigned every 2-4yrs so chances are if you are boarded then someone in the boarding team is being trained. Also if you are squared away when the nasty non boat driving CG comes along side you should have nothing to worry about. But I do still find it funny that everyone complains about how sorry the CG is they are the first ones that we call and they are the first to come when you yell mayday...