Don't Go to Sea Without a Comb

It was a beautiful, sunny day in Boston.  We had been here a week, on a mooring 100 yards from Long Wharf, home of Faneuil Hall and Quincy Market, and had thoroughly enjoyed this clean, vibrant city.  It was an unexpected surprise for me, not being a fan of cities at all.  We had explored Little Italy, shopped the Hay Market (produce), eaten some terrific meals and toured the city.  It was time to leave, and we planned to head north tomorrow morning.

One last load of laundry to do in the marina, one more good dinner, and we would slip our mooring.

I put the laundry in the dryer and, since we had an hour, wandered down the street past the New England Aquarium, which was advertising Whale Watching Tours.  So, on a whim, with 20 minutes until departure, we raced back to the boat, grabbed a light jacket and hat for me, and boarded the boat.  I brought nothing else, not a purse, comb or even identification.  What would I need at sea? Ha.  We left at 1:30 for a three hour cruise.  Oh, yeah.  And left the laundry in the dryer.

We did see two hump back whales cavorting about 50 yards from us, and it was an impressive sight.  They knew we were there and put on quite a show.  And about 3:30, we started back on a one hour run to Boston.

At 3:40, there was a clunk and the engines stopped dead.  We had gone over a 5 inch in diameter research line, floating on top of the water, marked by 4 lit buoys.  It was a bright, sunny day, relatively calm seas, and good visibility.  Someone just wasn’t paying attention.  And so the fun began.

First the crew tied a squeegee to a line and tried to reach the cable.  Needless to say, the line wouldn’t reach and the squeegee wasn’t heavy enough to hold anyway.  Then they tied a bucket handle to the string.  Next they duct taped two boat poles together to try to reach the line right at the boat.  But they only tied the ends and the poles flexed so much they were useless.  By now, we were sure we were in a comedy routine.  Next they bent a piece of metal trim and snagged the line, but it was tight against the boat and they couldn’t raise it much less cut it.  All this time, the seas are two to three feet and the boat is rocking, firmly held in place by this cable.

Aboout 5:30, they called for help and we were informed a diver was on his way.  An hour later a salvage vessel arrives – sans diver – to “assess” the situation.

So the boat circled and circled, with men in life jackets on the bow watching us until, finally, they called for a diver.  Now we have wasted another hour, and it took another 45 minutes for the small boat to arrive with two divers on board.  It is now 7:30 and we are thinking we might be here until dark.

The divers went in the water with a hack saw, and then some other small kind of tool, and played around until dark.

In the meantime, we were assured that, if they couldn’t cut the line, another boat would be sent to take us ashore.

This boat had about 150 people on board, including babies in strollers, and grandmas in walkers.  About half the group was foreigners, and some had very limited English skills.  And as soon as the boat stopped, people started getting sick and kept the staff busy mopping up.

The staff was terrific, opening the food counter and passing out snacks and water.  Of course, bar items were not free.  It didn’t stop us from a G&T (and then two) when we realized this would be a long haul.

At 9:00, the captain announced that the dive operation was unsuccessful and they had sent for a boat to take us into Boston.  We were 17 miles off shore, and, since this was a sequential process, it was another hour until the Nathaniel Bowditch, a Salem ferry, arrived.

Although it wasn’t particularly rough, it was the ocean, it was dark, and the seas were three feet or so.  When the ferry tried to tie up to us, the two metal boats clanged and crashed together so that they abandoned the effort.  Just as well, because it would have been a disaster to try to pass some of these people across.

In the meantime, they had announced that women and children would board first – shades of the Titanic – so more chaos erupted.

By now, we had the Coast Guard, the salvage boat, the dive boat and the ferry circling us.  As it got dark, and the horizon disappeared, more people got sick.

Now we are on our own, and settled in to wait for the next dive team who, we were informed, would arrive sometime between midnight and dawn!  And if they couldn’t free us, another boat would come rescue us.  Sound familiar?

At 11pm, all blankets, sheets, tablecloths, and even an American flag, were passed out to keep people warm.  Remember the three hour cruise? No one was prepared for a night at sea.  It actually wasn’t cold in the cabin, although cold and windy on the deck.  We managed to get a seat that we shared with a poor student who had hopped aboard at the last minute, by himself, to kill three hours until he met friends for dinner.

Back at the food bar, staff was cutting up cardboard boxes for blankets for those that were too sick to come inside, but were freezing.

The salvage boat went to the ferry and “borrowed” every bit of supplies on board.  Food, water, beer, blankets, sleeping bags were passed over to the crew as the boats pitched.

But folks wouldn’t leave a door open, so the air became stale and still.  With people still getting sick, it was uncomfortable at best.  Fortunately, the young ones slept for the most part and we didn’t have screaming kids.  And the staff kept the garbage cleaned up and the restrooms spotless, given the circumstances.

At 1am, another Coast Guard boat arrived and put two officers aboard.  Divers, we thought, but, no, medics.  T

hey began to evaluate those that were ill.  And they stayed with us until we docked.

Another cry went out for blankets, and the Coast Guard delivered.  I have no idea from where, but by 3:30 am even I had a blanket.

 

And the boat that brought these blankets brought divers, who went to work immediately.  Apparently, they had the right equipment and there was lots of banging coming through the aluminum boat, but by 5am we were free.

There is a mystery, however, as to what we snagged.  It was reported to be a research cable, a Navy operation, and the papers reported it to be a lobster line – NOT SO.  Whatever it is, it was rescued before we were.  By 5:30, it was being pulled from the sea.

At 5:45 or so, the engines were started, and we limped back to dock at half speed, arriving just before 8am.

It must have been a slow news day, and apparently it had been reported that we were stranded at sea, because there was a cadre of media at the dock to greet us. 

BOSTON (CBS) – Dozens of sleepy passengers waved from the deck of a whale watch boat that returned to Boston Harbor Tuesday morning, after a night stuck at sea.

The 157 passengers and six crew members set out for a three-hour whale watch early Monday afternoon. As they were heading home, one of the boat’s propellers became entangled in ropes.

“It was not what we expected when we set out to go see the whales, but the crew were really good,” a passenger told WBZ-TV’s Bill Shields.

Passengers from a stranded whale watch boat return to dry land after spending the night at sea. (WBZ-TV)

Boston Harbor Cruises hired a crew to come free the ship, but those efforts were unsuccessful Monday evening. The Coast Guard determined the seas were too rough to offload to everybody to another boat. That’s when passengers learned they would be spending the night about 16 miles off the coast of Nahant.

“Leaving them on the vessel was actually safer for them than transferring them from one large ship to another larger ship, in the middle of the night and with the sea state as it was,” said Coast Guard Lt. Karen Kutkiewicz.

“I thought it was fun,” 8-year-old Colet told WBZ NewsRadio 1030’s Carl Stevens Tuesday morning. “We were out on a boat and we got stuck out there. We had to sleep overnight and we got to see divers go down.”

Tangled Whale Watch Returns Home

Medics were brought aboard in case anybody needed medical attention, and the Coast Guard stationed two boats nearby to bring food, water and blankets to the passengers.

A team of divers arrived early Tuesday morning and was able to cut the boat free. The boat was inspected for damage and returned to port using just one propeller.

Passengers are being compensated by Boston Harbor Cruises with $500, a $100 gift certificate, and a refund of their tickets for Monday’s memorable voyage.

(Our picture is in this one.  Should have had a comb!!)

http://bostonherald.com/news_opinion/local_coverage/2014/07/stranded_whale_watch_passengers_return_after_night_at_sea

Our friends Connie and Richard were there too.  When we didn’t meet them for dinner last night, and our dinghy was still at the dock, they were worried and found out what had happened.  By the time I had cell service this morning, they were already ashore waiting for us.  And we were glad to see them.  And our laundry, all neatly folded (thanks, Connie).

A hearty breakfast, a catnap, and all is again well with the world.

But beware the three hour cruise.