Tag Archives: Captain
Fishing boat aground near Bodega Bay
F/V Aleutian Storm’s owner, watching his fishing boat stuck fast in the sand at South Salmon Creek Beach, didn’t want to talk to a reporter. His livelihood was aground, out of commission and, despite its sturdy build, in some peril. His 58-foot vessel had run aground near Bodega Bay late Friday night — all four of the crew aboard got off safely, the Coast Guard said — and Chris Fox was waiting for a tugboat he’d hired to arrive from San Francisco. “If you lost your house, if you lost your means of making a living, all of that is similar to what’s happening, “said Dick Ogg, a veteran fisherman who is president of the Bodega Bay Fishermen’s Marketing Association. ”Chris works so hard. He’s such a good person and it’s just devastating to see something like this happen. He had been out Friday night fishing, too, Ogg said, and it “had been miserable.” “There was probably close to 20 knots of wind and, you know, it had been building and it just was nasty,” he said. Five photos, more, >>click to Read<< 15:14
4 rescued after boat runs ashore in the North Bay
First responders rescued four crewmembers of a fishing boat that washed ashore near Bodega Bay Friday night. The boat ran around south of Salmon Creek Beach, according to Gino DeGraffenreid with the Gold Ridge Fire Protection District. “As always, the Sonoma Coast is extremely hazardous on occasion,” DeGraffenreid said. “And tonight was one of those occasions.” more, >>click to read<< 06:50
Coast Guard responds to grounded vessel near Bodega Bay
The Coast Guard responded to a report of a grounded vessel Friday night at Sonoma Coast State Park. This position is two miles southwest of Bodega Bay and is located within the Greater Farallones National Marine Sanctuary. Coast Guard Sector San Francisco watchstanders received a call via VHF-FM Channel 16 from the captain of the 58-foot commercial fishing vessel Aleutian Storm reporting that the vessel had run aground and needed assistance ungrounding. The captain also reported that all four crew aboard were uninjured and had immersion suits. more, >>click to read<< 20:08
Nearly 3 years after deadly sinking, debris from F/V Scandies Rose finds its way to a family in Kodiak
Seven men were on board the F/V Scandies Rose when she went down during stormy weather in the waters off Sutwik Island near Chignik, on New Year’s Eve, 2019. Two survivors were plucked from the water in the hours after the vessel sank by Coast Guard rescue crews. But five crew members were never found and presumed dead. Those included the ship’s captain, Gary Cobban Jr. and his son David Cobban, both from Kodiak. The ship, a 130-foot crabbing boat, was enroute from Kodiak to fishing grounds in the Bering Sea and stacked with 198 crab pots when it sank. Now, nearly three years later, those buoys and other pieces of the ship have started washing ashore, bringing closure to Gerry Knagin and some of the other family members of the crew members lost. >click to read< 13:32
Captain, crewman remembered 15 years after F/V Lady Luck’s sinking
Fifteen years after their tragic deaths in the sinking of the dragger Lady Luck, Capt. Sean Cone and his crewman Daniel Miller are still fondly remembered by their families and friends. Cone, 24, born and raised in North Andover, and Miller, 21, of North Hampton, New Hampshire, were lost when their 52-foot, steel-hulled vessel sank rapidly in the late hours of Jan. 31, 2007, about 30 miles southeast of Portland, Maine, in water more than 500 feet deep, according to a U.S. Coast Guard investigation. The two fishermen were returning to Newburyport from Portland. Years later, their loved ones continue to celebrate their lives. >click to read< 17:47
He was the best of us. Kenneth Dale Burns,1954-2021 has passed away
On September 6, four days after his 67th birthday, Kenneth Dale Burns passed in the night. He was the best of us. Whether donned in neoprene in the crashing waves, or atop of his fishing boat off Humboldt Bay, he was the best of us. He loved his wife with a sincerity and devotion that only a man with his capacity for love could achieve. He was the best of us. He had a quiet soul and a stoic presence that made us all feel safe. He was the best of us. His boys adored him and his grandchildren loved him because he was the best of us. He was a captain, a husband, a father, and a grandfather. >click to read< 14:09
Captain William “Barnacle Bill” Louwsma of Everglades City, a commercial fisherman, has passed away
William “Barnacle Bill” Louwsma, 65 of Everglades City, FL died Friday, July 16, 202. He was a commercial fisherman for stone crab in the Gulf of Mexico and crawfish in Marathon. He was captain of the F/V Whatever and took great pride in working hard to provide for his family. He was a sports enthusiast who loved the Florida Marlins, the Miami Dolphins, and the Miami Hurricanes. He also followed the Detroit Lions when the Miami Dolphins were not depressing enough. He loved to tell stories, some of which might have been true. He hated prosecutors and cottage cheese. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Florida Stone Crabbers Association >click to read< 14:14
Life of a Brixham fisherman selling catch straight off his trusty trawler
He’s the skipper, captain, engineer, cook, and cleaner of the Adela BM79 – a bright blue mini trawler. At 9 meters long, she’s Brixham’s smallest and self-professed ‘prettiest’ fishing boat. Recently, Tristan Northway has earned himself a new title to add to his roster, one that seemingly comes as naturally as the wind to a sail. Tristan is Brixham’s only licensed floating fishmonger; selling freshly caught fish directly from the boat on any day that he can get out to sea. “It’s not easy,” says Tristan. “I’m going out at 2 in the morning. I came home at 4 this afternoon. And I probably won’t go to bed until 10 tonight.” >video, photos, click to read< 07:44
Obituary: Captain Michael Lee Lindgren of Ketchikan – Commercial Fisherman
Michael Lee Lindgren, 65, died April 26, 2021, peacefully at home after a short battle with cancer. He was born on Nov. 20, 1955, in Mason County, Washingon. “Mike had a lifelong passion for fishing that started at a young age when he would go shrimping with his beloved Grandpa Johnny in Hoodsport, Washington,” He moved to Ketchikan in 1979 to work at Whitman Lake Hatchery, where he met Jill, who would later become his wife. After working at the hatchery, he worked as a deckhand on a longliner, troller, seiner, tender and processor. In 1991, he bought the F/V Seven Seas, a wooden fishing vessel built in 1944,,, >click to read< 10:13
Fishing Vessel Crew Member Held For Assault On The High Seas After Allegedly Stabbing Ship’s Captain Off Pensacola Coast
United States Attorney for the Northern District of Florida Lawrence Keefe today announced a criminal complaint against Robert Odom, a crew member on a commercial fishing vessel who allegedly attacked and wounded the vessel’s captain with a pellet gun and long-blade knife as the vessel was underway in the Gulf of Mexico off Pensacola. The criminal complaint against Odom, 46, was lodged by the United States Coast Guard Investigative Service. >click to read< 19:56
Nathan Carman trial: Lobsterman who was fishing in Block Canyon expected to testify Friday
The first three days of Nathan Carman’s federal civil trial have focused on changes he made to his boat, but starting today lawyers for his insurance company hope to call witnesses who will challenge Carman’s version of how the Chicken Pox actually sank with his mother on board. Among the witnesses slated to testify Friday is lobsterman Alex Aucoin, captain of the 82-foot Prudence, who is expected to say that he and his crew were fishing in the Block Canyon area off Long Island on the same day and within a few miles of where Carman reported going down. >click to read< 10:20
Captain Rescued from 77 Foot Clam Dredge After Experiencing Medical Issue
Suffolk County Police Marine Bureau officers rescued the captain of a clam dredge after he experienced a medical incident while fishing in the Atlantic Ocean. Ronald Garay, captain of the 77 foot commercial clam dredge Mary T, was operating in the Atlantic Ocean south of Point O’ Woods, Fire Island, when he began to experience shortness of breath and called for assistance over Marine VHF radio. The Marine Bureau heard the call and dispatched a rescue boat, Marine Kilo, crewed by Officers Keith Magliola and Christopher DeFeo, who are both New York State Certified Emergency Medical Technicians. >click to read<08:54
Coast Guard locates 8 people in life raft over 400 miles north of Hawaii
A Coast Guard HC-130 Hercules aircrew from Air Station Barbers Point located a life raft with eight people aboard from the fishing vessel Princess Hawaii over 400 miles north of the Big Island, Sunday evening. The Hercules crew will remain on scene as long as fuel is available and the crew of the commercial fishing vessel Commander is en route to pick up the crew. The Princess Hawaii reportedly had a captain, six crewmembers and an observer from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration aboard and was fishing within 20 miles of its sister ship, the Commander. >click to read< 09:08
It’s devestating’: Fishermen try to cope as NOAA shuts down groundfishing
Cesar Verde only knows fishing. The New Bedford resident learned the craft in his native Portugal. For the past seventeen years, he’s worked in the fishing industry in his new home, and he’s been a captain for the past decade. However, for the last two weeks, he’s been out of the water because NOAA prohibited Carlos Rafael’s vessels from groundfishing. Verde captains fishing vessel Ilha do Corvo. “So far, (I’m) pitching in on the little savings I have. Soon I’ll run out.” click here to read the story 20:24
With My Brother, in Pursuit of Pink Salmon
The weather’s riled up today, blowing wind and web in my face as I stack the corkline that floats our seine net. The afternoon wind tosses our net around as waves spray saltwater over the boat rails and across the deck. We wrangle the bag of fish alongside and with a combination of manual strength and hydraulic power, pour the splashing pink salmon into the fish hold full of chilled sea water. This week feels like summer storming its way into fall, with beautiful days feeling almost tropical backed right up to days of sideways rain and gusty squalls. Nelly Hand is a commercial salmon fisherman from Cordova, Alaska. click here to read the story and more photo’s 20:11
UPDATED! American Eagle Captain, Eight Crewmen board fire stricken Vessel, Suppress fire, Crew Safe
The Coast Guard successfully coordinated the rescue of 42 people who abandoned ship when their 
caught fire approximately 1,800 miles south of the Hawaiian Islands, Wednesday. An HC-130 Hercules airplane crew from Air Station Barbers Point arrived on scene at 5:10 p.m. (HST), established communications with the fishing vessel’s crew and dropped a dewatering pump, flash lights and flares. Fong Seong 888, a Tuvalu-flagged oil tanker, arrived on scene at 5:30 p.m. (HST) to offer additional assistance. The captain of the American Eagle reported smoke had lessened from the disabled fishing vessel and boarded the vessel with eight crew members to suppress the fire. Read the rest here 07:03
Letter: Budget bill the right way to get at NOAA – Paul Cohan, Captain, F/V Sasquatch, Gloucester
I am writing regarding the Senate Appropriations bill on fisheries. Obesity in government is truly an epidemic and NOAA is the posterboy — overstaffed, overpaid, and underworked, a recipe for systemic, catastrophic failure. continued@GDT
Letter to the Editor: Mayor wrong to throw NOAA a ‘white flag’ – Paul Cohan, Captain, F/V Sasquatch, Gloucester
I am writing in response to the story regarding Mayor Kirk and her planning for “transition” on Gloucester’s waterfront (the Times, Page 1, Monday, May 20). One thing I’ve noted over the years is that “nicey nice” doesn’t work with the National Marine Fisheries Service, NOAA, the Department of Commerce, or any other federal agency. In D.C., it seems, diplomacy is seen as weakness and something to be exported overseas (where it clearly doesn’t work either). Domestically, it’s gloves off, bare knuckled, all out, do or die persistence that carries the day. continued
Letter to the Editor: This is an open letter to NOAA regional administrator John Bullard. Dear John, I’m leaving you. You’ve lost me. Paul Cohan, Captain, F/V Sasquatch Gloucester
This is an open letter to NOAA regional administrator John Bullard.
Dear John, I’m leaving you. You’ve lost me. You’ve tripped yourself up in your misinformation too many times.
The honeymoon is over. It’s all over. My heart is broken. And I’m angry. Do you actually expect anyone to believe this gurry barge you just attempted to foist upon the public as truth? This is Gloucester. We still hear the shrill echos of your elitist “nobody is guaranteed a job for life” — unless you’re “the Shredder” and his enforcement gang. Then your callous “day of reckoning” comment! Bet you wish you could take that one back! continued
