Bald Head Ferry Runs Aground

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sierra

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December 17, 2013

BALD HEAD ISLAND - A private ferry serving Bald Head Island has run aground near the mouth of the Cape Fear River, injuring 14 passengers.
Bald Head Island Limited spokeswoman Joyce Fulton said the 64-foot ferry Adventure ran aground Tuesday shortly after leaving Southport at 9 a.m.
At least 30 people were on the ferry at the time of the accident. Fulton disputed earlier reports that some passengers had been thrown into the water by the impact.
Coast Guard officials said three vessels responded and transported 14 injured passengers back to Southport, where ambulances were waiting.
Brunswick County spokeswoman Amanda Hutcheson said one person was airlifted from the scene with potentially serious injuries.

Read more here:Bald Head Island Ferry Runs Aground
NewsObserver.com
 
How does this happen???

Ferry-runs-aground-jpg_zpsa5843b2c.jpg
 
quote:
Originally posted by Volffas

How does this happen???

Click to expand...


It happens every time someone challenges physics. Physics always wins.
 
It says the Ferry ran aground at high tide and the pictures were taken at low tide. I assume the sandbar it's sitting on was submerged when they hit?
They are obviously out of the channel!
Bill
 
Ferry driver thought the sandbar would move out of its way since he has a schedule to follow...
 
Dude, hold my beer. I think I can clear the bar at high tide. Hang on this will be cool!
 
' On top of old Baldy..... '

Could this shoal be where the lyrics originated?
 
I literally passed this ferry on Sunday as we were heading down the ICW. Nasty day a lot of wind and chop also the tide was really low but I cant imagine it was so low they would run aground without a lot of operator error.
 
Why do you guy's assume Captain or someone is at fault?
Perhaps he lost power or steering cable snapped.
Perhaps he swerved to avoid hitting something.
Perhaps he deliberatly ran aground when he was taking on water.

Does not take much for a boat in the wind to end up where it doesn't belong if another factor kicks in.
 
While we don't have any details, passengers were injured due to the grounding so it s not like it lost power and drifted on the shoal.

I doubt a boat that size has cable steering, most I likely hydraulic and when that fails, it doesn't send the boat off course. You also have time to slow down and use asymmetric thrust to avoid obstacles...

I hope there is a mechanical issue, but somehow I doubt it
 
Looking at the charts, there are some flats just south of battery island that extends very closer to the channel than they do elsewhere so it s not difficult to see who someone could run aground at that spot. Yes the shipping channel is well marked but wth 20+ outside th channel you can see why someone may not necessarily stay in the channel...

Still, hard to see how local ferry captains don't know the waters there...
 
Update: The Bald Head Island Ferry Adventure was pulled free during high tide around 8:30 a.m. by the tugboat Cape Hatteras from the Moran Towing Company.
The ferry was then towed up the Cape Fear River to Wilmington Marine Center.
The Coast Guard oversaw the re-floating and are working to determine the cause of the grounding.
 
Yeah, let's spend a mess of cash watching the crew finger point.
 
There is no finger pointing on a boat. It's the captains fault no matter how it happened.
 
There are those who have. The rest will. Everyone gets at least one turn at running aground.
 
Let's qualify that comment by this "Amongst the parttime practicioneers Everyone gets at least..."
 
I've been on that ferry plenty of times - it's the only way for most to get to Bald Head Island. It's a short trip across the Cape Fear River. I would think the ferry captains could do it with their eyes closed.

But, things happen - my old truck has been sitting in the same place in my driveway for years, but I still backed into it last month like I had never known it was there!
 
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