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BLACK MAGIC, A 32 BLACK FIN OUT OF FORKED RIVER WENT MISSING FROM AN OVERNIGHT TUNA TRIP, THE CHARTER BOAT IS FROM FORKED RIVER NJ AND HAD 6 PEOPLE ON BOARD. A MAYDAY WAS PICKED UP APPROX 1AM AT THE COAST GUARD STATION IN MARTHAS VINEYARD.

HOPE THEY FIND THEM!

Charlie:
Just got a call from my brother. They found the boat, and everyone aboard is ok.
121 miles off Atlantic City.
The boat was just diabled. A good ending to this one. Thank God
bob k

great news

I've seen the boat go down the river a number of times. According to the reports the owner is a diesel mechanic. Hard to believe he would loose both engines.

Wonder if he wrapped something around the props?

a great ending to what could have been a real tragedy,it will be interesting to see what happened, but glad to see that all 6 are back on terra firma!

I like it when stories end like that...

Real happy to hear they are all okay.

Phew... I was hoping.

A couple years ago we were out and there was a Grady that lost all power. No starting batteries. They had a hand held that was powerful enough for us to hear them because they were close, but I think we were the only ones... I handed over my genset so they could boost up and get started. Those little Honda's are the cats ass...

They were some grateful, and I was more than happy to be able to help. I felt lucky to have heard them.

You just never know...

D

YEAH, i am sure they were greatful, another thought, great to be in a country that has the response capapbilities that this country does, the COAST GUARD does a magnificent job , dont think they get enough credit,glad they are covering our backs!

So? Did they catch any fish?

according to the article in the COUIER POST today they DIDNT catch any fish!

What went wrong?

From an interview they had a major electrical failure.

Boat was also reported to be taking on water but the seas were calm at the time.

Possibly water got up into the batteries and shorted everything out.

They did not have an EPIRB or it did not work.

It was not calm. My buddy was 25 miles away on his dragger. Said it was snotty.

It will be interesting to see what happened. Not sure the batteries got wet. A report I read said that they tried to rewire the engines to them started. That leads me to believe that they did not loose all of their batteries. I beleive at least the owner and one other guy on the boat were mechanics with one a diesel mechanic.

For the life of me, with a generator on board that they would start from time to time to run the pumps, why they could not get at least one engine running. I really would love to hear what happened.

Unless they were one of those new computerized ones that shuts itself down when it senses something isn't "right". I'm really curious about what happened too.

Walter

I will find out at some point. I winter my boat at the marina right next to them. I know the yard guys in the marina I stay at pretty well. They will eventually find out and I will get the answer. If not, I might just walk over there in the spring and ask the guy. This is just too strange.

The boat is in Atlantic City getting checked out by the CG. I suppose they also would like to know what happened ,as they spent a lot of money looking for those guys.

These guys came to the Rendezvous this summer. The owner is a young guy who just got back from Iraq. Both and his father were at the show. Nice looking boat; but I think it was pretty new to them.
Anyway this is what I know.
The lights dimmed as the set-up on the chunk.
They realized they had serious electrical issues.
The genny they had on board was not putting out (kind of like a wife)
They finally made contact with USCG at 1 AM; but when he switched on the GPS for an exact location everything shut down.
They tried running the genny and working the VHF; but to no avail.
GC found them and proceeded with a 20 hour tow back to CG Atlantic City.

Not sure if the had an EPIRB.
Sounds like the batteries got dragged down and they only noticed the problem when they hit the lights. Then it sounds like the portable genny was a piece of crap. They tried rewiring, but to no avail.
I nominated Jim for a Darwin Award because of no EPIRB on board.

I got to say when I was young I went offshore without much safety equipment. EPIRB's were not invented.
Only VHF, loran and a few crappy life jackets. I was always smart enough to carry spare battery that was not hooked into the charging system. Had the same thing on my 28B and the same set-up on the 35B. Always have a battery that is just sitting there just in case something bad happens.
The nice thing with a diesel is if you can get her started it does not take much juice to keep the fuel solenoid engaged.

Glad they're ok. Sounds like many things went wrong on them. Darwin award is right tho. Going offshore without an epirb is asking for trouble.

I do the same as you Charlie, i always have 1 spare charged battery when making runs like that. Also, Mike O said something to me once that i also agree with. Don't shut the engines down when offshore like that.

I have the heavy duty jump pack charged up. That way I can start them right at the engine. Also I can hand it of to another boat if need be. Also good to run vhf or pumps. Also Have a EPIRB and a GEPIRB and a SART. As I have said in other posts, many people go offshore ill prepared. Risking their lives and worse their crews who think their buddy has a big boat and everything is taken care of. The other day a Captian owner went to take his raft off after 2 years to get inspected. He could not get it off and asked for help. I look and the metal packing straps are still on it holding the raft to the cradel. It would have never worked. Takes people out all the time 100 miles. Thinks he's the cats ass.

Charlie, you must have been rich to have a loran, all we had was an old
RDF. It was great for listening to the AM radio.

I got to admit I did not have a loran. I guy I was selling some stuff for sent me went he found out I did not have one. It was a Sea Ranger from Red Bank NJ. I thought I was the cat's ass when I got that thing. Now I knew exactly where I was. Good thing I never needed it for rescue cause VHF's really don't work that far offshore. The only hope is another boat hears you and they get a relay going.

I had an I.I. Morrow Loran A with a scope where you clicked a bunch of little knobs and put radio waves on toad stools....better than nothing, barely.

I still have my RDF, and we could find North America with it, sometimes. In the old days we stayed lost, but never ran out of whiskey; we were young and bulletproof.

Nowdays its almost too easy, takes the thrill of impending death outta it.

UV

We did the same thing. Always ran with a buddy boat. Another 31 Bert. He had a loran A and we had a big Simrad loran C. One of the first one's around. the other boat also had an AM radio which is now single side band.

No life raft, no epirb, and 50 gallons of extra gas. What the #$@! where we thinking.

Young and foolish.

i promise as ask in greenport i will post my electrical system some day perhaps this winter in a ten page post. make a long story short cannot have electrical problem as described unless boat went under .isolation blocks !!

My VHF battery is placed higher then the other batteries about 1 meter high and is used only for the radio. And the circuit has an isolation thing only for charging purposes. If, and I hope never happens, I get in trouble, even with water in my knees I can keep calling for help and with this DSC system we use now on VHF , our position is recorded since we made the first call for help.

Plan for the worst, hope for the best and never say never, not ever.




Aside from that doozy..I also go by the slogan... If you can make it...they can break it. I don't care if its a Steel Shaft, Concrete Wall or Bulletproof Electrical System.

way to go luis a total insolation system for at least the radio . next step make 31 bertram into 3 compartments (like warship). sim the ocean water in center compartment ( forward of main bulkhead)has to be up to the bottom of the saloon seat to cut off power by then she headed for the bottom and then all 3 system could keep up with incoming water . yes it could happen by a knife object slicing the hull side below water line for ten feet (titanic syndrome).

Well, the saga continues. Black Magic has made it home to Forked River by way of Seal Tow. She is on the Hard being repaired. Word around the docks is that it looks like both batteries had a heart attack.

the isolation blocks along with the 3 battery switches .battery cables are 4/0 silver (locomotive cable).to and from batterys banks/starter motors . all inside cabin saloon with main bulkhead seal off from cockpit and v-berth.