New wreck 60 miles off Sarasota

[PatMyGreen]

Rescued captain says capsized boat was 'wicked woman'
by VIN MANNIX
The Herald
http://www.bradenton.com/mld/bradent...l/15965966.htm
CORTEZ - Maybe they should've listened to Budweiser, the dog.

So said deckhand Hector Melendez and Gary Key, the captain of the 42-foot commercial fishing vessel, Medusa.

"That dog was scared of the boat," Key said Wednesday outside the sprawling A.P. Bell Fish House. "He acted so weird this last trip, like he knew something was gonna happen."

Which it did Tuesday, sinking in windswept, 10- to 12-foot seas 60 miles west of Sarasota. A Coast Guard helicopter rescued Melendez, Key, Key's son Brian and Shaun Olschewski, as well as the dog.

"Budweiser's the first mate," Melendez said of the 3-year-old brindle, pit and lab mix.

The dog and the crew were glad to be on dry ground.

Their mood was light after all they'd been through 24 hours earlier.

They were reflective, too.

"I went out with what little I had and came back with my life," said Melendez, 28.

"I'm still a little shaken up," said Brian Key, 20, from his mother's home in Riverview.

Said his 55-year-old dad, who has fished the Gulf of Mexico for 35 years, "I've been through a lot of storms, but this was a rude awakening."

Key had the boat, owned by FV Medusa Inc. of Cortez, since August and had made a few trips with it prior to this one. He estimated the boat to be 25 to 35 years old.

"I put a lot of time in getting that rig right," he said. "I was leery of it. Medusa was a wicked woman. "

The four-man crew and dog were almost halfway through a two-week trip, long-line fishing for grouper. They'd already caught 800 pounds, but were anxious to catch more if they could catch a break from the wind and waves.

"It was hard work to get what we had," Melendez said. "That morning started off nice when we got up at 6 a.m. We were gung-ho. About 10 o'clock, everything changed."

The seas got so rough the crew began pulling in their fishing gear when they say a rogue wave struck about 11 a.m.

"It came over the port bow, swamped the doggone deck pretty good," Key said. "We started pumping water out, but then it seemed like something else busted loose. Soon we were taking in more water than we were pumping out."

Said Melendez, "After the wave hit, everything that could go wrong, went wrong."

The crew cut its lines loose to help the Medusa stay afloat.

It was futile.

"We were getting pretty low, and I was trying to run the boat downwind to keep the stern up," Key said. "Then the dad-blamed engine started filling up with water and started gurgling and that was it. We saw it was a losing battle."

Key radioed a mayday, and the crew prepared to abandon ship, which was sinking stern first in water he said was about 175 feet deep.

Luck was with them.

Or as Melendez put it, "The hand of God was definitely involved."

Before they jumped in, the life raft became entangled in wires and was dragged under, but resurfaced.

Melendez and Olschewski went first, followed by the captain.

Key's son jumped in last, with Budweiser.

"Then we realized we didn't have our beacon, or our flare. But they floated by us, we grabbed them and used them," Melendez said.

They estimate the Coast Guard plane spotted them an hour later after its third pass.

"I was afraid the 'copter would never come get us," Key's son said. "I said a few prayers."

They all did.

If and when the crew will get back to sea, or find jobs on land, is up in the air.

One thing is certain.

Wherever the captain goes, Budweiser's going with him.

"That's my dad's buddy," young Key said.

Vin Mannix is the Herald's local columnist. Please call


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[inletsurf]

Poetic Justice, a long line boat sinks to provide us a new spot. I love it!

[PatMyGreen]

What gets me is no one thought to grab the damn epirb!!! If the boat is going down just find me, cause the epirb will be firmly in hand, tethered to my genitals or inserted up my butt so i will know it is close by. They were lucky.

[PAT A]

I would be willing to bet they dont even know WTF an epirb is or where it was located. Come on, their dogs name is Budweiser. They were probably too loaded to think about the epirb. It is pretty ironic though ....PAT

[Snooker00]

They said in the paper yesterday they wanted to try and salvage the boat, wonder what they are going to do with all the gear they said they cut loose?
There is no telling how much is strung out and still baited, hooking fish just to die! This is just another reason to put a stop to this destructive way of what they call fishing!!

Steve

[inletsurf]

i caught that, too. How appropriate for a longline vessel's first mate...a dog named budweiser!!! :d:d

Originally Posted by Snooker00

They said in the paper yesterday they wanted to try and salvage the boat, wonder what they are going to do with all the gear they said they cut loose?
There is no telling how much is strung out and still baited, hooking fish just to die! This is just another reason to put a stop to this destructive way of what they call fishing!!

Steve

A new longline spool is anywhwere from $20k to $30k, not including all the hydraulics and other gear that goes with it..they probably did or will try to salvage whatever they can.

[MichaelBaranows]

Are longline license like shrimp license that they can't be tranfered to a different boat?

[SkywayGray]

HaHa, some people never cease to Amaze me on this board! Long Liners or not they are still humans and are our neighbors, they have families and friends who care about them the same way yours do about you!!
A QOUTE FROM ABOVE " What gets me is no one thought to grab the damn epirb!!! If the boat is going down just find me, cause the epirb will be firmly in hand, tethered to my genitals or inserted up my butt so i will know it is close by. They were lucky." PATMYGREEN
OR
"I would be willing to bet they dont even know WTF an epirb is or where it was located. Come on, their dogs name is Budweiser. They were probably too loaded to think about the epirb. It is pretty ironic though ....PAT" ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? Have you been in a LIFE OR DEATH situation like that? You have no idea what it felt like or what was going on. Instead you JUDGE falsely, over what "there dogs name??"
Absolutely Pitiful!!!
I am NOT a supporter of long lining, actually I despise it, VERY MUCH!!. BUT I am a supporter of human life, and family, and friends. They were fisherman and they made it home safe, God blessed them.
I say I am happy they lived! Not the other above comments!

[Surface Tension]

I'm glad nobody was hurt.

[Kahuna]

Is it legal to longline in 175ft?

[PAT A]

Originally Posted by SkywayGray

HaHa, some people never cease to Amaze me on this board! Long Liners or not they are still humans and are our neighbors, they have families and friends who care about them the same way yours do about you!!
A QOUTE FROM ABOVE " What gets me is no one thought to grab the damn epirb!!! If the boat is going down just find me, cause the epirb will be firmly in hand, tethered to my genitals or inserted up my butt so i will know it is close by. They were lucky." PATMYGREEN
OR
"I would be willing to bet they dont even know WTF an epirb is or where it was located. Come on, their dogs name is Budweiser. They were probably too loaded to think about the epirb. It is pretty ironic though ....PAT" ARE YOU KIDDING ME??? Have you been in a LIFE OR DEATH situation like that? You have no idea what it felt like or what was going on. Instead you JUDGE falsely, over what "there dogs name??"
Absolutely Pitiful!!!
I am NOT a supporter of long lining, actually I despise it, VERY MUCH!!. BUT I am a supporter of human life, and family, and friends. They were fisherman and they made it home safe, God blessed them.
I say I am happy they lived! Not the other above comments!

Actually yes I have been in a situation that was very nearly life and death on the ocean. Fortunately we did not have to ditch and everything turned out ok. But we did have the sense to have the life raft and EPIRB ready. The crew that I dive and fish with know what to do in a bad situation and we plan for it. Also when someone new comes on the boat they get a full breifing on where all safety gear is located and what is expected of them in the event things go to shit. Skyway, my coments above are my opinion, if you dont like it I dont care. You can go F**K yourself for all I care....PAT

[GRIM REEFER]

Originally Posted by Kahuna

Is it legal to longline in 175ft?

I think it's 130'

Glad they made it back OK,