Be Prepared!

A boat from Valdez burned and sank over the weekend. The owner/operator demonstrated some great strategies that prevented this incident from becoming fatal. I may not have the entire story straight, but the owner Rick Van Stone was in Fidalgo Bay on the hook for the evening. Rick heard the smoke alarm go off at about 0300 and his first thought was that the battery was going bad. Coming out of the forepeak, Rick smelled
smoke. Reaching for a hatch to the engine compartment, flames leaped out at him as he opened it. Trying to get the hatch closed again, he burned his hand.

Rick broke out a couple of dry chemical extinguishers, reopened the hatch and discharged both of them. Access to the fire was difficult and the extinguishers didn't slow the fire. After finding and using one more
extinguisher, the skipper decided it was time to abandon the vessel. Rick always keeps a Zodiac skiff at the ready on top of his wheelhouse. Inside the skiff was an abandon ship kit filled with flares and emergency supplies. Van Stone had time to dress warmly, launch his skiff and safely leave the burning boat. He said that it was a moonless night and he watched the boat burn for several hours before it sank. It was he said an eerie sight.

Rick was very prepared to leave his boat in the event of an emergency. Fidalgo Bay is quite a ways for Valdez, there is no 911 to call and it's too far to swim. You could imagine someone less experienced or prepared trying to successfully escape the troubled boat. This is a great example of the Boy Scout Motto "Be Prepared".

Tags: Valdez Alaska Boating Safety