C&D Closed All Day

I just read this article this morning. One of the daughters on board the schooner is still in the hospital. It is a shame about the boat.
 
We heard the USCG broadcast yesterday evening. That is really going to disrupt shipping I imagine.
 
They think they'll have it open late today. I saw them working on it this morning. The original reports said nobody was hurt. Now they are saying one is in good condition. That is ashame. Impressed the tug crew managed to rescue everybody as it was very early in the morning 3:40am, and the boat went down fast.
 
Picture in this morning's Wilmington News-Journal showed the schooner being lifted out of the canal yesterday. What still hasn't been reported (or discussed) is how a commercial tug and a 45' schooner hit each other in clear, calm weather in the early AM, generating the sinking?

Delaware Jim
 
Rumor and I repeat RUMOR has it that The younger daughter (34 years old so not too young) was at the helm.

The C&D has lights on each side.

She saw the tugs lights and confused them for the canal lights...she thought they marked the northern edge of the canal....but in fact they were the tug.

So she turned hard to port to stay in the "channel".....right into the tug
 
I can see where that could happen ... eveything looks different at night ... and at 3:00AM, I'm not sure I'd be functioning at all.
 
Night-time running even when it's clear and calm, is not easy. We don't know any details yet, but I'm surprised. The canal lights in the C&D are pretty consistant in spacing and color intensity. It all can happen so quickly, the closing rate of two vessels approaching each other, is very critical. I hope all parties involved are well, boats can be replaced, lives can't!
 
Fortunately it seems everybody is ok. Even though the lights do make it seem like it should be easy, there are serious accidents all of the time. The worst was when a local restauranteur's son died when he hit the rip rap on the side
 
Nothing offical at all, but they continue to say the schooner was heading west, the tug east. They were at the point where the canal starts to open to the bay so the lights become further and wider apart. The schooner confused the tugs lights for the northern side lights of the canal, turned south right into the tug.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top