Nobody hurt in three boating accidents

About 35 people escaped injury last week in three separate boating mishaps. One boat sank. One boat was intentionally grounded to save the people onboard. Another hit rocks off Henry Island.

On June 30, a 46-foot dive boat owned by Island Dive & Water Sports of Friday Harbor sank in 20 feet of water southwest of Lopez Island. Quick thinking by Capt. Ron Kenny prevented injuries to 18 divers from Seattle onboard.

According to Island Dive’s manager Terry Whalen, the boat started to sink when a 10-inch exhaust hose separated from the diesel engine.

“The exhaust exits through the transom underwater,” Whalen explained. “It was impossible for the onboard pumps to prevent the stern from sinking, so Ron drove it ashore on nearby Long Island. The passengers were safely disembarked, but the boat suffered serious damage.”

The cause of the incident is under investigation. “There are still a lot of unknowns,” Whalen said. “We’ll know more in a couple of weeks. The engines appear to be a total loss.” The boat was towed to a shipyard in Anacortes and passengers were returned their $75 dive fee.

On July 3, the 100-foot wooden yacht Malibu struck a charted reef at high low tide near Yellow Island in Wasp Passage. Though there were no injuries, the boat sustained severe damage to the hull. There were about 10 people onboard.

Larry Hamilton of Vessel Assist San Juan responded to the mayday within 20 minutes of the first distress call. Hamilton said the boat sank in five minutes, mainly because of a hole caused when the yacht’s stabilizer fin broke off.

“The boat was piloted by a professional master, but he is new to the area,” Hamilton said. “Apparently, in trying to avoid other vessels, he hit a rock clearly marked on the chart. Wasp Passage is a popular, but nasty, area for boaters. All it takes is losing attention for a second and a grounding can happen.”

Concerned about a possible oil spill, on Friday a 400-pound derrick owned by the Manson Co. hoisted the Malibu onto a barge for a trip to a Seattle shipyard. Details on the captain’s name and dollar estimate of the damage were unavailable.

Finally, on Saturday afternoon, a 48-foot SeaRay pleasure craft hit a rock south of Henry Island near the entrance to Mitchell Bay. As the boat started to take on water, the four passengers were rescued by the private yacht Fancy Ann. The USCG cutter Osprey from Port Angeles stood by to render assistance but by 2:15 p.m. the boat had sunk in 13 feet of water.

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