Rescue in SoCal's King Harbor

Oct 29, 2016
1,929
Hunter 41 DS Port Huron
At 3:54 a rescuer goes from the Lifeguard boat to the foredeck of the sailboat and it appears he is tying a line to the bow cleat, the vid ends before the line takes any effect at least that is what I see.
 

Rick D

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Jun 14, 2008
7,203
Hunter Legend 40.5 Shoreline Marina Long Beach CA
Just looked again. It looks like the rescue swimmer had an MOB in tow as the boat sailed off the rocks. You can see near the end. Whatever, a huge effort and some (bronze) balls there. Lots of opportunity for this to have had a much worse ending.
 

LuzSD

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Feb 21, 2009
1,009
Catalina 30 San Diego/ Dana Point, Ca.
amazing how the two in the boat got tossed around pretty violently and still were able to keep their wits about them.
I am assuming this was Saturday, this past weekend? Crazy wind. Such brave and focused Harbor patrol and Lifeguards they are. Lots to be grateful for!
 
Oct 29, 2016
1,929
Hunter 41 DS Port Huron
Too late I showed her last night, the expression was something like,,, WOW, I said keep watching they just sail right off the rocks, I think it was part of Red Bull Extreme sailing gig.
 
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jssailem

SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
Oct 22, 2014
24,519
CAL 35 Cruiser #21 moored EVERETT WA
Reading the report, they had a dog on board. Maybe the guys needed to walk the dog and thought the breakwater would be a good place?
 
Jan 18, 2016
782
Catalina 387 Dana Point
I learned to sail out of King Harbor (long ago) on a Columbia 5.5. We always sailed in, and often out as the motor on that particular 5.5 was something like a 2.5hp 2 stroke outboard.

The jetty these guys were bashing up against is lee in the typical socal weather conditions. As you come back into the harbor you pretty much have to go from sailing pretty deep to having to be able to make way upwind as you make the turn into the harbor. It's definitely not a spot to foul a sheet or something. The news article mentioned that they came out and immediately turned back in - possibly they weren't prepared for the maneuver. Couple that with 20+ kt winds and sailing back in would be a challenge.
 

genec

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Dec 30, 2010
188
Pacific Seacraft Orion27 HP: San Diego, M: Anacortes
I went to full screen 1089p on my desk top and played it in slow motion. Here is what is best event scenario I saw.

1) Captain got caught in a Wave Action caused by the Jetty/Harbor.
2) Wave direction keep him in the Irons.
3) Captain and one brave crew did correctly and Stayed Aboard.
4) Captain kept rudder amidships and let the keel do the banging.
5) Swimmer jumps in water, but has a life line to the Rescue Boat.
6) Boat noses to the waves and wind got in the main.
7) Boat gets free and gets WAY ON.
8) No line ever attached as shown when the Boat passes the rescue boat.
9) Deck hand tries to un-foul the jib. (big dummy)
10) Rescue swimmer hauled back to rescue boat.

Never a line attached to the sailboat.
Jim...
I think you are a bit wrong in two areas... It appears that that the rescue swimmer is hauling someone back to the rescue boat... likely the crew. Crew is dressed in dark clothing. Take a look just aft of the sail boat at time 3:19. You see the swimmer, the torpedo buoy, and a dark figure in the water... with what appears to be a mask on. (odd reflection)

Also the "deckhand" referred to in "9" above is a rescue swimmer from the Lifeguard boat. He steps from the Lifeguard boat at time 3:59, and tries to unfoul the jib, to no avail.

Looks like one boat is Harbor Patrol, the other Lifeguard. In both cases, these guys are magnificent in their efforts to assist... putting themselves into harms way.
 
Jan 18, 2016
782
Catalina 387 Dana Point
The author David Rosenfeld, did a pretty nice job. We're used to seeing non-sailing press really butcher stories like this.
+1 on that. He used correct terminology ("head sail, rudder, outboard, etc") and outlined the facts well. A quality often missing from reports of things that the reporters aren't experts themselves in.
 
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Oct 19, 2017
8,119
O'Day Mariner 19 3444 Littleton, NH
I thought, maybe that thing floating in the water was a bow line tossed out for rescue boats to pick up. Now, I think it very well could have been a mob. I also thought that rescue swimmer was nuts but if it was an MOB, that is some brave and expert swimming.
High praise should go to all those rescue workers. Awesome!

What would SBO members have done, against that jetty, not knowing you could just sail off if you waited it out? How could that situation work better or did we just watch a best case scenario?
Should an anchor have gone out? Could the sails have been dropped? If so, which one or both? What if the rescue boats hadn't been there?

- Will (Dragonfly)
 

JamesG161

SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
Feb 14, 2014
8,019
Hunter 430 Waveland, MS
Also the "deckhand" referred to in "9" above is a rescue swimmer from the Lifeguard boat. He steps from the Lifeguard boat at time 3:59, and tries to unfoul the jib, to no avail.
I didn't catch that but he does go aft to the cockpit...
I will amend my post.
Jim...
 
May 4, 2005
4,062
Macgregor 26d Ft Lauderdale, Fl
IMHO,
just before the 2:00 mark, the boat goes sideways, then, there is a pfd in the water, with I assume a head poking out, once the pfd is seen on the rescue boat the swimmer dives in, and tries to get him out of the boat wash. and succeeds.

that's one tough boat there... dang.


stay on the boat!
 
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JamesG161

SBO Weather and Forecasting Forum Jim & John
Feb 14, 2014
8,019
Hunter 430 Waveland, MS
Two objects left the boat. According to the story, one guy jumped and was basically attached to the rescue swimmer at a safe distance.
The other thing appears to be a life sling float. I thought it was the Dog in a PFD, because it tends to make "way on" also.:confused:

I didn't pay much attention to those object on my first viewing, but was putting my head in the Captains place and what would I have done.
Jim...
 
Aug 22, 2011
1,113
MacGregor Venture V224 Cheeseland
So......this is likes a sailors worst nightmare.
What could he have done different after he was on the rocks?
Would control of the jib sheet have given him a chance to get the head hauled earlier?
Was luck the only remedy here?

This could be any of us one day..