Friday, May 18, 2012

On Duty

After a week of showing our friend Brian around the San Juan Islands, and moving every day, we are now set to stay in one spot through Memorial Day.


We are now on duty as brand new Washington State Park Volunteer Marine Hosts!

The website says Sucia has hosts, but Ranger Steve has been here for six years, and says he has NOT had hosts....until now.  This is a test, and we hope we pass.

I believe Al is having a ball!  He loves chatting with people, and there has been plenty of opportunity for that today.  The International Yacht Club is here, bringing lots of friendly Canadians.  A large group of Boy Scouts arrived this evening.  Former Scout Al will be showing the boys where to work on their service project tomorrow morning, removing English ivy.  And it is the final weekend of the shrimp season.

Sadly, the afternoon brought tragedy.  A small shrimp boat overturned just off Little Sucia and all three boaters were tossed into the water.  Even though former firemen from our dock took a surgeon out in their fast dinghy to help, and our own Ranger Steve was on scene and helped perform CPR, one man lost his life.  A Coast Guard helicopter and boats were there to help the two survivors.  Other boats were near too.  Our shrimping friends Mark and Lauresa who rescued US two weeks ago recovered some debris and tossed one of their sleeping bags to a hypothermic man.

Our prayers go out to all:  the man who lost his life and his family, the two survivors who lived through this harrowing experience, the first responders who worked so hard but were unable to save one, all those nearby listening on the radio and knowing there was nothing they could do.

3 comments:

  1. Good to hear you are hosts and sorry your initiation had to be around the death of another boater. I had seen the news report.
    Will you just host at Sucia?

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  2. Hello Hira! Glad to see you have been out with Shatoosh and Pashmina again. We are also hosting at Blake Island for two weeks in July/August. We are heading to the South Sound in June. When are you heading north?

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  3. Yeah, I saw that on the news when it happened and I told Jean, that is where Al a Kristi are park hosts at! I was looking to see if I could see either of you or your boat. I am very sorry for the man that lost his live and his family.

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