Shipwreck vessel leaking @ Dillon Beach

90 foot American Challenger was being towed to Mexico for scrap.  A steel tow shackle failed and the American Challenger subsequently drifted and wrecked on the rocky shoreline near Estero de San Antonio, between Bodega Bay and Tomales.

🤨😞 well that just sucks

dammit, i was just there two weeks ago for ski week.  So sad that pristine area is at risk.  its like a little paradise

Update according to Press Democrat: 

Felix Vera is reported to be the Florida-based owner of both the tug boat and shipwrecked vessel involved in this incident.  His maritime lawyer allegedly decided to move this heap to Mexico for scrap while Mr.Vera was in an induced coma during Covid treatment.  On paper, both boats are technically owned by Vera's So-Cal based business "Ship International Inc.", a shady sounding international vehicle shipping company with no website.  Neither vessel was insured. 

The tug captain is still deflecting any responsibility, instead accusing the Coast Guard of poor planning, and blaming a "Chinese-made shackle" for the wreck.

This site has detailed updates from the DFW:

https://calspillwatch.wordpress.com/

The good news is that there seems to be little leaking oil. They plan to remove the oil booms on March 15. Miller boat launch was open this weekend, but will be closed starting on the 15th when they remove the booms.

From info from a commercial boat near the tug and towed vessel it seems the CG certainly could have done more. It was about three miles offshore when the cable attachment broke and the weather wasn't that bad at that time. The CG could have helped the tug re-attach the line or anchored the vessel in the outer bay. Now that boat will become a permanent fixture between Dillon's and the Estero. My two cents worth.

From info from a commercial boat near the tug and towed vessel it seems the CG certainly could have done more. It was about three miles offshore when the cable attachment broke and the weather wasn't that bad at that time. The CG could have helped the tug re-attach the line or anchored the vessel in the outer bay. Now that boat will become a permanent fixture between Dillon's and the Estero. My two cents worth.

Yep-I've heard stories for years about the relative un-willingness of the Bodega Bay CG to assist when hailed.

From info from a commercial boat near the tug and towed vessel it seems the CG certainly could have done more. It was about three miles offshore when the cable attachment broke and the weather wasn't that bad at that time. The CG could have helped the tug re-attach the line or anchored the vessel in the outer bay. Now that boat will become a permanent fixture between Dillon's and the Estero. My two cents worth.

Yep-I've heard stories for years about the relative un-willingness of the Bodega Bay CG to assist when hailed.

First, I'll give a disclaimer of bias here since I am former USCG and operated small boats in incidents like these as a coxswain.  The Coast Guard used to conduct salvor operations including courtesy tows and even gave small amounts of fuel to boats that were disabled due to a lack of fuel.  However, this was challenged in court and precedent states that the Coast Guard may no longer engage in commercial salvor operations and must remain a lifesaving service as to not interfere with the livelihood of commercial salvors.  This creates a very blurry line between protecting maritime and natural resources and interfering with commercial salvors.  Due to this limitation, it's also a fine line between liability once the CG takes the salvage vessel in tow.  Therefore, the coxswains operating the small boats aren't even authorized to make a decision of commercial salvage.  If a commercial salvor is engaged in tow and they lose it, the USCG may assist, but only if there is no increased risk to the crew.

I don't have full details of the exact circumstances in play here (the exact conversations that went up and down the chain of command), so I won't pass judgement.  It's just very hard to help people that are in need and not in distress due to the regulations in place stemming from the USCG helping people in the past.  I can tell you that it's wildly frustrating to be on scene and have your hands tied because the vessel in need does not meet the threshold of distress.  It means the USCG standing by waiting for Tow Boat US to come price gouge the poor souls into paying for a tow.

Theres thr policy, and then theres the public's perception esp when theres a CG training facility within stones throw. Assuming the boat called distress, even if coasties did nothing, they shd have been on seen to at least observe. Call it a training exercise or whatever, they were nearby had the opportunity and seems feckless excuse to not have helped after realizing help needed. Now too dam L8

Interesting input, Tedski. The guy who taught me a lot about sailing told me that the Coast Guard would not assist except in the event of life-threatening emergency. He also pointed out that chest pains are a life-threatening emergency, the existence of which is impossible to disprove. I've seen the Coast Guard tow recreational fishing boats in to the Petaluma Marina who didn't seem to be in any life-threatening distress, but I don't know where they got picked up. Does that policy apply to recreational vessels as well? I guess I could look it up. Kind of OT anyway.

Interesting input, Tedski. The guy who taught me a lot about sailing told me that the Coast Guard would not assist except in the event of life-threatening emergency. He also pointed out that chest pains are a life-threatening emergency, the existence of which is impossible to disprove. I've seen the Coast Guard tow recreational fishing boats in to the Petaluma Marina who didn't seem to be in any life-threatening distress, but I don't know where they got picked up. Does that policy apply to recreational vessels as well? I guess I could look it up. Kind of OT anyway.

Yeah, it applies across the board.  CG response policy doesn't treat commercial or rec any differently.  An easier way to make it a distress call is to forget if you have an anchor on board or not. 

The fishing vessel being towed to a scrapping yard was under salvage.  The recreational vessels weren't.

Pics are of the Newberg which went aground on Salmon Creek Beach in 1918 in heavy fog. Note the attempts to re float and get it out to sea. True. They failed and parts of the ship are still buried in sand. Now a few years back the Vera, out of Ft Bragg, a 60 foot salmon/albacore troller, drifted on to the same beach when the operator, a flake who leased it, decided it was OK to shut down and drift while sleeping but without going to a safe distance offshore to do so. Relative calm morning when the vessel hit the beach and at that point certainly could have been towed off the sand and into deep water but no....no attempts. Vera is slowly rusting out under a blanket of sand. You would think if efforts were made to pull a schooner back to sea with the weak engines in the boats of that time with the aid of horses to right the ship, efforts could and should have been made for the recent towed vessel and the Vera. I get how regulations can inhibit a prompt response from the CG. If so they need to be changed and commanders allowed to use some commonsense and seamanship to prevent serious problems. I think all here can imagine what would happen had that boat been full of fuel and oil and allowed to drift onto the rocks.

 Tedskis' first hand knowledge is very much appreciated in explaining the reality against what we would hope and prefer occur.  It stinks when the people that want to help ( I am assuming the CG crew wanted to help) are told not to by those that are in charge, but those are the rules.  Hopefully this type of occurrence will get a decision maker to work on changing the rules that CG crews must follow.

Tedskis' first hand knowledge is very much appreciated in explaining the reality against what we would hope and prefer occur.  It stinks when the people that want to help ( I am assuming the CG crew wanted to help) are told not to by those that are in charge, but those are the rules.  Hopefully this type of occurrence will get a decision maker to work on changing the rules that CG crews must follow.

+1 for the sole purpose of being thankful for the insider info.