Tag Archives: Astoria
Coast Guard swimmer describes rescue of alleged Ore. yacht thief and ‘Goonies’ prankster
On the morning the U.S. Coast Guard in Astoria received a frantic mayday call from a yacht sinking near the treacherous mouth of the Columbia River, John “Branch” Walton was in his fifth and final day of advanced training as a rescue swimmer. Walton and his classmates leapt at the chance to respond. But it was a quick game of rock-paper-scissors that settled which swimmer would plunge into the churning, frigid waters nearby. Walton won. He was the least experienced of the bunch. Unbeknownst to the 22-year-old who learned to swim only after joining the Coast Guard a few years earlier, he’d soon execute a very difficult rescue seamlessly. And he would be thrust into the national limelight as millions viewed video of his first real-world rescue, taken from a camera mounted to the Coast Guard helicopter that flew him to the imperiled boater. >click to read< 10:29
Triumph II tows disabled dragger with 42,000 lbs of fish aboard through deep draft bar
The Coast Guard towed a 58-foot fishing vessel after the crew lost use of the main engine about 17 miles west of Willapa Bay Sunday. A boat crew aboard the Triumph II, a 52-foot Motor Life Boat from Coast Guard Cape Disappointment, met the crew of the fishing vessel F/V Ashlyne, a 58-foot dragger with four people and 42,000 pounds of fish aboard, and safely towed them across the Columbia River bar into Astoria, Ore. The Triumph II is one of four special purpose crafts specifically designed for the deep water bars located in the Coast Guard 13th District. The power and stability of the 52-foot Motor Life Boats make them the preferred asset for towing commercial fishing vessels across large bars, according to a Coast Guard statement. >click to read< 07:50
Port of Astoria: Twelve more workers test positive for Coronavirus at Bornstein Seafoods
Clatsop County reported Friday that 12 more workers at Bornstein Seafoods in Astoria have tested positive for the coronavirus, bringing the outbreak to 26. The county Public Health Department began testing workers at the seafood processor on May 2 after the company informed the county on May 1 that an employee had tested positive for the virus. Bornstein Seafoods has shut down two plants at the Port of Astoria in response to the outbreak and advised employees to self-isolate at home. The Bornstein Seafoods outbreak rippled across Astoria. >click to read< 09:25
Feds fund new work tent for local shipwright
Astoria based WCT Marine & Construction, one of the few remaining shipwrights in the region, has secured a $573,000 federal grant to build a self-contained outside work area at North Tongue Point. The U.S. Maritime Administration provided the grant through its Small Shipyard Grant Program. WCT will match $191,000. WCT requested a 200-foot-long, 60-foot-wide tent where employees can work on tugs, barges and commercial fishing boats out of the wind and rain, speeding up the turnaround on projects. Under the tent will be a filtered drainage to catch byproducts from welding, painting and other vessel work. >click to read< 18:16
Astoria, San Francisco were once the Detroit of the marine-engine industry
Between 1908 and 1911, something happened that almost certainly saved hundreds of men from drowning on the Columbia River Bar. The salmon canneries in Astoria started fitting their gillnet fishing fleets with small gasoline engines. At the time, the mainstay of the Astoria gill-net fishing fleet was a picturesque double-ended lapstrake design, developed by a California man named J.J. Griffin in 1866 for use on the Sacramento River. >click to read< 15:40
Pacific City and Astoria honor their maritime heritage and culture with decades-old celebrations
In many towns along the Oregon Coast, boating isn’t just a livelihood or a means of recreation, but a way of life, the foundation that defines a community. In coming weeks, two towns will celebrate their maritime history with festivals that have been going strong, in one community, for decades; in the other, more than a century. In Pacific City, 2019 marks the 60th anniversary of Dory Days, which runs July 19-21. The festival opens Friday,,, Astoria is preparing for its 125th celebration of the Astoria Regatta, Aug. 7-10. >click to read< 08:43
After an initial patch of rough seas, Fishing Vessel St. Jude is reeling in prized albacore, and accolades
ST. JUDE is the patron saint of lost causes. It wasn’t the name Joyce and Joe Malley would have chosen for the spanking-new 95-foot fishing vessel they bought in Port Arthur, Texas, in 1990, but it’s considered bad luck to change a boat’s name. In retrospect, a little heavenly protection might have helped. Buying the St. Jude took all they had, and then some. >click to read<11:18
Oregon: Coast Guard offers safety training for commercial fishermen
Dungeness crab season is approaching and soon commercial fisherman will be out on the dangerous waters, so the Coast Guard is offering marine safety and survival training for them. The agency says they have five different two-day training sessions scheduled on the Oregon Coast over the next couple of months. Training is designed for commercial fishermen and will provide them hands-on experience with safety equipment and emergency drills. >click to read<17:50
Astoria drops below Newport in commercial catch
Astoria slipped below Newport last year as the dominant West Coast port for commercial fishing. Newport landed 124 million pounds of commercial fish, the 11th highest mark by quantity in the nation, while Astoria netted 122 million pounds, the 12th highest. Westport, Washington, came in at 100 million pounds, or 13th highest. The catch figures were released today by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, which compiles an annual fisheries report that includes the quantity and value of commercial fishery landings. Read the rest here 16:58
NOAA OLE Agents probe possible sea lion shootings in Astoria
The Sea Lion Defense Brigade discovered bullet casings and bleeding sea lions at the East End Mooring Basin in Astoria. We can tell you that NOAA office of law enforcement has received a complaint, and we are investigating the possible shooting of sea lions at the East End Mooring Basin,” said Sean Stanley, a special agent with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Stanley wouldn’t comment further, citing the ongoing case. Read the rest here 17:13Even the Deadliest Catch Stars Couldn’t Pull The Crowd In – Astoria: 2014 Commercial Fishermen’s Festival canceled
While the heart, soul and minds are willing, the Commercial Fishermen’s Festival board has made the hard decision to cancel the festival this year. <Read more here> Link to photos of the last festival 10:03
They’ve got a BIG Lineup for the Commercial Fishermen’s Festival September 14 – 15, 2013 Astoria, Oregon
We still have an exciting line-up of Deadliest Catch stars coming to the Festival include Captain Jonathan and Scott Hillstrand, Captain Rick and Donna Quashnick, Hiram Johnson, Nick McGlashan, Matt Bradley, Captain “Big Dad” Harry Lewis, Robert Perkey and Mike Vanderveldt among others! Info here 14:13
