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Author: Subject: Mexican Boat "Erik" Capsizes
DENNIS
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[*] posted on 7-4-2011 at 04:47 PM


Quote:
Originally posted by bajaday
very sad it took so long to begin a rescue.



I assume the choppers were from the US and you're right. Our cross-border cooperation is worse than sad.
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MrBillM
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[*] posted on 7-4-2011 at 05:38 PM
Do You Suppose ............. ?


They'll get a rebate on their Charter Fees ?
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[*] posted on 7-4-2011 at 05:42 PM


SD Local news said two rogue waves hit the boat. 27 Americans on board and the wife of a victim told a San Fran TV station he was in the water for over 15 hours. I heard conditions are bad there tonight and Mexico may be suspending the search. The water is warm and some survivors swam to shore, but then had a three mile hike to nearest phone. One heart attack victim.



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Bajahowodd
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[*] posted on 7-4-2011 at 05:43 PM


Quote:
Originally posted by mtgoat666
Quote:
Originally posted by DutchmanAZ
I fished on the Erik a few years ago, and I have to say the boat wasn't ship shape from my perspective, and the crew (also, IMO) was lacking as well. Very shoddy ran operation, although we did catch fish and returned safely.


Nomads are interesting. Often they shrug and say, "oh, that's just Mexico,..." as they explain their acceptance of graft, corruption, DWI, local ("substandard") building practices, etc. Other times they judge Mexico by USA standards.

The early reports are that the boat got hit by a strong squall and rogue wave. Perhaps even a USCG-approved fishing charter would have been knocked on it's side too.

You knock a boat on it's side, and doors happen to be open, any boat might sink, regardless of amount of rust.

Will have to wait a few days for the rest of the story.


So very true.

Even if there are people who personally were disappointed about the conditions on the ship, just like Tripavisor, I have to believe that there well may be folks who didn't catch the number of fish they were hoping for, who would diss this operation.

In the long haul, this area of the SOC is not a likely source of bad sea conditions. Not without obvious tropical storm conditions.

I'm for waiting for awhile to see really what happened, before I will condemn the operators of the ship, or Mexicans in general.
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monoloco
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[*] posted on 7-4-2011 at 07:03 PM


Almost all accidents of this sort are human caused, either operator error or faulty maintenance. 30 knot winds should be no problem for a ship of this size.
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BajaBlanca
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[*] posted on 7-4-2011 at 07:07 PM


it is sad that it took the helicopters so long. so close and yet so far.




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BajaGringo
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[*] posted on 7-4-2011 at 07:08 PM


Quote:
Originally posted by DENNIS
Quote:
Originally posted by bajaday
very sad it took so long to begin a rescue.



I assume the choppers were from the US and you're right. Our cross-border cooperation is worse than sad.


This photo shows a chopper from the Mexican Navy...





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Hook
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[*] posted on 7-4-2011 at 07:39 PM


There were also some significant thunderstorms in the Sea that day, especially from the southeast, Bajahowodd. OK, no "named" tropical disturbance. But that area is rather shallow which can contribute to the formation of rogue waves; waves with a long fetch from farther south, combined with the reported local gusts of 30 mph could be nasty.

I'm expecting to hear that their anchorline gave or something else that put the boat athwart of the wind.




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mtgoat666
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[*] posted on 7-4-2011 at 08:08 PM


Quote:
Originally posted by monoloco
Almost all accidents of this sort are human caused, either operator error or faulty maintenance. 30 knot winds should be no problem for a ship of this size.


how do you know they were 30 knot winds?
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BornFisher
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[*] posted on 7-4-2011 at 08:57 PM


I`ve done quite a few trips down there (including the Eric and Jose Andres), and others. That place is a violent wind tunnel and every time we went through there, I was almost blown out of my rack. That would be right there in the time slot the Eric went under. It may appear to some on paper that that is a safe area, but it blows like Hell there. Add a big storm and wham! Prayers to the families of the missing.
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Hook
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[*] posted on 7-4-2011 at 09:37 PM


Quote:
Originally posted by mtgoat666
Quote:
Originally posted by monoloco
Almost all accidents of this sort are human caused, either operator error or faulty maintenance. 30 knot winds should be no problem for a ship of this size.


how do you know they were 30 knot winds?


There is a recording weather station in Gonzaga




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mtgoat666
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[*] posted on 7-4-2011 at 09:56 PM


Quote:
Originally posted by Hook
Quote:
Originally posted by mtgoat666
Quote:
Originally posted by monoloco
Almost all accidents of this sort are human caused, either operator error or faulty maintenance. 30 knot winds should be no problem for a ship of this size.


how do you know they were 30 knot winds?


There is a recording weather station in Gonzaga




perhaps the boat did not sink at the weather station but sank elsewhere...
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BajaNews
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[*] posted on 7-5-2011 at 05:57 AM


http://forums.bajanomad.com/viewthread.php?tid=53850

posted by Russ on 7-2-2011 at 06:46 PM:

Mainland storm ~ Big winds in Chivato

It's been blowing all afternoon and I suspect it'll continue into the night. 20 to 25 mph most of the afternoon with a high gust of 32mph.

Some times when conditions are like this we'll have a great light show. And for no apparent reason we'll have a local storm pop up with wind in the high 40's and a hard down pour. Seems to come at around 2am when you're sleeping hard and the stuff out side starts flying around.

[Edited on 7-5-2011 by BajaNews]




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[*] posted on 7-5-2011 at 06:09 AM
Baja fishing trip turns tragic; search continues for missing men


http://www.insidebayarea.com/ci_18406538

By Troy Wolverton
07/05/2011

When Belmont resident Michael Ng headed down to Baja Mexico to take part in a guys-only summer fishing trip with some friends, he expected it to be a fun time, just like last year.

Ng, an avid fisherman, came home last year with tales of catching "monster" fish, said his wife, Ya Ng. This trip "was supposed to be another great story," she said.

Instead the trip turned tragic, as the boat Ng and his group were on capsized during a freak storm in the Gulf of California early Sunday morning. Ng, many of the fishermen and all the crew members were rescued, but one tourist died. And as of Monday night, seven men were still missing.

"I'm relieved I'm alive, but I'm scared for the people who haven't been found yet," said Ng, who was part of a group of 12 friends on the trip.

When she heard from her husband Monday morning, Ya Ng said she initially thought her husband was joking when he talked about the shipwreck, because she hadn't heard anything about it. When she realized he wasn't kidding, "I was shocked and relieved."

Sudden storm

Ng was one of 43 men on board the Erik, a 115-foot vessel owned by Baja Sportfishing, the company that rented out the boat for deep-sea fishing expeditions. After setting sail from San Felipe on the gulf coast, the boat was hit by a sudden storm some 67 miles south, according to Rear Adm. Jorge Bustos of the Mexican navy.

Mexican rescue teams, assisted by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter, searched for survivors all day Monday. After initially saying that they would switch to searching for bodies rather than survivors, Mexican authorities said late Monday that they would widen the search area. With the warm weather and water temperature, it's possible those missing are still alive, said Mexican navy Capt. Benjamin Pineda Gomez.

"A person who casts away can survive many days. That sea is calm," Pineda told The Associated Press.

A huge wave capsized the boat and a second wave soon after caused it to overturn, said Alfredo Escobedo Ortiz, director of the civil protection agency for the state of Baja California. The boat sank about four minutes after being overturned, he said.

Among the survivors was Charles Gibson, a police officer with the Contra Costa Community College District. People on the boat were awoken by other passengers and the crew as it began to sink less than 2 miles from shore, Gibson said.

"We are devastated by this tragedy. Every effort is being made to assist the authorities in the search. Our thoughts and prayers are with the families," Baja Sportfishing said in an emailed statement. Company representatives did not respond to requests to comment further.

Some of the survivors spent 15 or more hours in the water before being rescued, said Leah Allen, vice consul with the American citizen services unit for the U.S. consulate in Tijuana. Of the 43 people on board, 27 were passengers, all of whom were U.S. citizens, Allen said. Most of the passengers were from Northern California. The man who died and the men who are missing are all Americans, Allen said.

Among those who remain missing was Russ Bautista, a retiree from the Sonoma County city of Penngrove. Bautista is an avid fisher but not an avid swimmer, friends said.

Love of fishing

This was Bautista's third or fourth trip fishing for yellowtail in the Gulf of California. He enjoyed it so much that he convinced his friend Pius "Pete" Zuger, 74, of Novato, that it was worth the long drive to Mexico, said Zuger's wife, Jacqueline Zuger. The two frequently took fishing trips together off Bodega Bay.

Zuger was rescued from the capsized ship late Sunday night and made it to shore safely. No one knows what happened to Bautista.

"We're worried about Russ and his wife is quite upset. I just hope he's on that truck coming back," Jacqueline Zuger said. "They won't leave without their friend."

Pete Zuger called his wife on Monday and told her of the group's ordeal.

"It just went very quickly. He got thrown across wherever he was sleeping," she said. "Some had life jackets. Some did not. There just wasn't enough time."

Zuger was in the Swiss Merchant Marine and is a skilled boater, she said, but he was lucky to be alive after being stranded in the water for so long.

"The water was warm," she noted. "If it had been Bodega Bay, he would have been dead."

Another man still missing is Mark Dorland of Twain Harte. Kristina Bronstein, Dorland's fiancee, heard about the accident from the trip organizer's wife on Monday morning. Dorland, 62, was one of the first people to fall into the water and wasn't wearing a life vest, Bronstein was told. The couple plan to be married next month.

"I'm beyond concerned," Bronstein said.




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[*] posted on 7-5-2011 at 06:12 AM
Search Continues in Mexico for 7 U.S. Tourists After Fishing Boat Sinks


http://abcnews.go.com/US/search-continues-mexico-us-tourists...

By BIANNA GOLODRYGA, LAUREN EFFRON and KEVIN DOLAK
July 5, 2011

The U.S. Coast Guard and Mexican Navy are scouring the Sea of Cortez by boat and helicopter in a continuing effort to locate the seven U.S. tourists still missing after the sinking of a charter boat off the coast of Mexico Sunday.

One U.S. tourist died.

The Coast Guard will be using a larger aircraft in its search today that is capable of covering greater distances, U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Pamela Boehland said. The Coast Guard expects to be up in the air over the Sea of Cortez around 10:30 a.m. PT. The Mexican Navy is expected to deploy the same two helicopters it has been using .

Seven Americans are still missing, according to Mexican officials. The identity of the dead man has yet to be released.

The boat, carrying a total of 44 passengers and crew, capsized when it was hit by two giant waves, according to Capt. Benjamin Pineda Gomez of the Mexican Navy. Twenty-seven Americans and 16 crew members were on board the 115-foot-catamaran, which was called the Erik and was operated by the tourism company Baja Fishing.

The vessel was supposed to take the group and crew on a week-long vacation -- an annual Fourth of July outing for a group of friends from Northern California -- but it was caught in a thunderstorm and capsized around 2:30 a.m. Sunday, about 60 miles south of San Felipe, in the Mexican state of Baja California.

The Mexican Navy says there was no Mayday call, so for more than 12 hours no one was aware of the situation. The Navy added that the ship's cook was instrumental in alerting authorities that the boat had gone down after being rescued by a fisherman.

The rescue operation also began after a second local fisherman spotted three survivors at sea. In the next several hours, 19 passengers and 16 crew members were rescued by Navy ships or passing vessels after clinging to coolers, rescue rings and life vests, according to the Associated Press.

"When the vessel sank it was close enough to shore that some people were able to swim to shore," the Coast Guard's Boehland said. "Other people were picked up by good Samaritan vessels that were in the area. Others were rescued by the Mexican Navy."

Among the rescued was American Lee Ikegami, who was on a fishing trip with his buddies. Ikegami spoke to his wife from a hotel, where crews were taking the rescued.

"Somewhere around 10ish last night my husband called and said his boat capsized and that he is fine ? I was in shock," Murphy Ikegami, Lee Ikegami's wife, told ABC News.

"All I know is at that time he was not in contact with any of his friends and didn't know how they were. He was at one end of the boat and was thrown into the sea," she added.

Murphy Ikegami also said the fishermen made the trip every year but typically would take day trips out to sea to fish, while they stayed in hotels at night. This year, however, they decided they wanted to sleep on the boat, she told the Associated Press.

Lee Ikegami says he still has no idea what happened to his friends.

Charles Gibson, a police officer from California, was another member of the group of passengers on the boat.

"Members of the Mexican military, the Mexican State Secretary of Tourism and the American consulate, have all been very helpful ... extremely ... in helping us get through this turmoil and this tumultuous situation," Gibson said.

The U.S. Consulate General in Tijuana, Mexico, released a statement saying their staff had met with all surviving Americans at a hotel in San Felipe and they were working with Mexican officials to provide return transportation back to the United States for the American survivors.

"We have been in touch with families of some but not all of the missing Americans," the statement said.




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[*] posted on 7-5-2011 at 07:00 AM
Tragic with idiots OFF board, not on board


Quote:
Originally posted by baja1943
whats going on? The first thread on this subject comes in around 5am. Than a second comes in a hour later. Then McFez enters the picture without reading previous thread and comments on something that has already been explained. but mcfez being the king of SF has to be the predominant provider of information. Then DutchmanAZ shows up 4hrs previous to the first thread and the other threads are deleted. Why?


It's a tragic day for the folks on this pleasure trip. I have been on this ship several times, and yes it was old and not kept too well...but I have seen worst...far worst. It was a safe boat in my eyes.

Idiots such as baja1943 and goat...always have to say negative stuff....but here in this post? Show some respect you idiots.




Old people are like the old cars, made of some tough stuff. May show a little rust, but good as gold on the inside.
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[*] posted on 7-5-2011 at 07:06 AM


Quote:
Originally posted by BajaNews
The Mexican Navy says there was no Mayday call, so for more than 12 hours no one was aware of the situation. The Navy added that the ship's cook was instrumental in alerting authorities that the boat had gone down after being rescued by a fisherman.



The boat should have had a epirb and life rafts.

Does mexican coast guard license charter boats? They should.
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[*] posted on 7-5-2011 at 07:43 AM


How in the heck does a 115 foot boat go down.
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[*] posted on 7-5-2011 at 07:45 AM
epirb


EPIRB ? Bring your own " SPOT " I check in 3 times a day, my people would have known by 8am Sunday morning.
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[*] posted on 7-5-2011 at 08:33 AM


We have been on the Erik many times fishing. Several years ago we survived hurricane "Marty" just outside of BOLA and all we lost was three pangas. Even though the boat might not have looked perfect to all of you who think you know everything, is that really what matters right now?? I agree with mcfez, can't we show a little respect for those families waiting and searching for information on their missing loved ones before we start to spread negativity.
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