Bo Palmer involved in a Defiance capsize off San Diego.

[Mariner]

This is a copy and paste from The Hull Truth, which appears to be a copy and paste from Bloody Decks....

This may SAVE YOUR LIFE! …READ THIS! …The REAL story about the Defiance capsizing during the thanksgiving halibut classic – BY ME…THE GUY DRIVING!!!

The first line in this report: We’re all alive.
The bottom line in this story: We’re all alive.
This being said, it is time to put the dozens of rumors, second-guessing, and Monday-morning-quarterbacking aside and LEARN a few things from this terrifying day.

Mike is a great guy, runs a great event and should in NO WAY be blamed for any of this. It is the captain’s (me) decision to factor in all of the conditions, vessel, crew, tide, experience, etc….to determine what is safe and when it is safe. I take sole and full responsibility for the accident…I blame no-one or have no excuses….but there ARE several reasons this happened the way it did, and learning from it may save a life. If it only saves ONE LIFE, then it will be worth the time spent pecking away at this keyboard.

The weather reports were substantial…though, none of was even the slightest bit nervous or scared as we left the bay around 6:30. Sure, the stuff was big…but spaced out enough to make it manageable.

We were in a 12,000 pound, 29 foot (about 36 feet length-overall) Defiance pilot house, with twin Yamaha 250 four strokes. We had a full tuna-tower with second station, 115 gallon split bait tank. The floor and bow were all filled with closed-cell floatation foam. Diamond Sea Glaze storm windows. Radar, GPS, Two VHF radios, Two antennas, two hand held VHFs, two Handheld GPS units, a personal EPIRB, two flare guns, extra flares, strobe lights, standard PFDs, six cell phones, etc…etc…The reason I describe this, is the gear was USELESS in this situation! You can prepare, prepare, prepare, and then in a flash, you are upside down in the water. There is NO TIME….NO TIME when it goes bad. NO TIME….YOU MUST BE READY.

After turning up toward the crystal pier area, I pointed the boat into the weather. While I tried to control our direction at the helm, three of us tried to fish. It was un-fishable. After an hour, I made the call to go back in and fish the bay. THIS IS WHERE MISTAKE ONE OCCURRED. I should have thought about the stacked up conditions that would be present at the entrance with a falling tide, and a huge swell heading directly into the tide, two hours after the slack-high point. Didn’t cross my mind. Didn’t think the boat or crew was in danger. Not in the slightest. I have driven into that bay down-swell in dozens of different boats, dozens, if not hundreds of times….why would this be any different? IT WAS!

While we were swinging around trying to fish, we had managed to wrap about two hundred yards of mono AND spectra around the port prop…..It didn’t effect the performance of our ride at ten knots heading back to the bay, BUT IT DID AT FULL THROTTLE WHEN WE NEEDED IT….conditions were too rough to attempt clearing the prop, and it wasn’t effecting our performance….so I made the call to get inside before putting someone out on the swim platform to clear it…..Mistake Number TWO…..
The better call would have been to sit outside all day at idle until low-slack-tide, or limp around to the big bay. Stupid – but I didn’t realize it at the time….DO NOT MAKE THE SAME MISTAKE – Stay alive.

He we go….I made a big, slow, gradual turn from Pacific Beach to dead-center channel. As we timed the swells, we head in….tabs up….bow up….throttles adjusting for swell-speed….the way the brain says to do it….the way we have all done it….by the book….with the feel….calling on all the experience…..anxious, but confident.

All six of us were in the pilothouse…door closed….I was on the back of a gnarly big one…timing it….it started gaining on us….leaving us behind, …I throttled all the way up to catch it, and had no thrust from my port motor…it was the spectra….we were doomed. The bow fell behind the swell and the next set picked up the stern and rolled us over……..so fast it was unbelievable. The power of those big, ebbing-stacked, twenty-footers is incredible.

A few minutes earlier I asked one of the crew to get all of the life jackets out of the bags and out of storage. How many of us have stowed-away PFD’s?....In a 36 foot-LOA, fully-enclosed pilot house….would you be wearing them in these conditions? ….I thought so too. READ THIS CAREFULLY OR YOU WILL DROWN!!!!!! We had all the PFDs next to each of us as we went in. I had a self-inflating C02 PFD snapped on as I stood at the helm.

When the boat rolled over, the cabin door slammed shut. The water pressure from outside held it shut. Bo Palmer wedged his arm in the closing-door first, but as we all tumbled, he lost his footing and it slammed. He thought this sealed it for us….we were dead…… Somehow with the help of adrenalin, courage, help from GOD, and the assistance of Jared at the other end, he pried the door open till it clicked into the auto-latch…… OPEN!

The water rushed in filling the dark, upside-down pilothouse in five seconds……the five crew who were NOT WEARING PFD’s were ABLE to swim down through the doorway, out into the cockpit, and out from under the boat…….those crew NOT WEARING PFDS!!!!!!.....Crazy huh?....Had they put the jackets on, instead of holding them, THEY WOULD HAVE BEEN PINNED AGAINST THE UPSIDE-DOWN HULL AND DROWNED!!!!!.... AGAIN, read this part carefully OR YOU MAY DROWN!!!......CARRY A KNIFE….OR TWO….CLIPPED ON YOUR PFD OR BELT OR BOTH….My auto-inflator, did its job, and floated me to the underside of the cabin floor……I watched all five crew members swim out the door, and I was pinned to the cabin floor by my inflated PFD, with about eight inches of air above my neck. There was so much pressure around my fat head and under my arms, that it was impossible to un-buckle the vest…….My mind raced, and I realized my Spiderco stainless knife was clipped to my pocket….I grabbed it, popped both cells of my PFD, took one last breath from the air-pocket, and swam down out the door, around the bait tank, and up the side of the over-turned gunnel.

I remember screaming for a head count was first. Two were on the hull bottom…two more were holding onto the anchor pulpit. One was swimming toward the end of the jetty, and I held onto the prop and skeg…..THEN….the next monster-breaker blew us away from the boat like we were feathers. I was able to make it back between sets…Bo made it to the other inverted motor. My son Steven was twenty yards down swell, in water-proof pants and tight extra-tuff boots….ANOTHER LESSON……Get your boots off FAST! Do NOT wear any WATER TIGHT CLOTHING!!!!.....You will DROWN!....He is young, athletic, and in shape…but…He was barely able to keep himself afloat for the 15-20 minutes it took for the rescue boat to arrive. He was barely conscious, and on his last couple of breaths when the rescue swimmer got to him…..He did not regain consciousness until he was in the ambulance on the way to the hospital----he coughed out tons of saltwater….GET YOUR BOOTS OFF AND BUY THEM ONE-SIZE TOO BIG!!!!

Jared made it out with a PFD…He was ok. Feller made it to the Jetty. Kerry was aware enough to get out of her boots and sweatshirt, and swim to the rocks….she was exhausted, but alive.
Bo and I were dragged into the little whaler after Steven as the best trained, most heroic SD Lifeguard rescue swimmers I have ever witnessed saved our lives. THESE GUYS ARE HEROS!!!

The lessons here are many. It is my hope that you will read, and re-read these scenarios and play it out in your mind to stay alive when something like this runs up on you.

The boat did what it was supposed to. It floated. We crippled it, then asked it to do what it couldn’t, but it floated like it was built-to until help arrived. We lost the tower to the bottom, the rest of the boat is totaled……who cares…..We’re alive.

[TheJudge]

Whoa, what a story! Everyone should be required to read it. Glad all hands were saved.

[RicM]

It is indeed a miracle that all were saved in this situation and I applaud the quick thinking and tenacity of all aboard and the heroics of those who came to their aid. However, I would seriously question the judgement of any captain out in 20' seas in a 29' boat regardless of experience, condition and design of vessel or experience of crew. This was a recreational fishing trip. I would have never left the dock.

[RobS]

I hear ya Capt Ric, I likely wouldn't have gone out in half the seas in twice the boat. And anytime an inlet is involved the TIDE has to be your red light / green light. I have spent many extra hours offshore waiting for the tide to turn to better the conditions at the inlet. Awesome they got out without serious injury and, as always, praise to the men/women of the rescue boats. Always learning.....

[TD]

I certainly agree that I would never have left the dock also; however there are always weather conditions that can come up. My son was out on that boat just two weeks ago with Rob and indicated he is a good captain. This is a very well built boat but, as indicated a boat twice this size probably wouldn't have survived either.

[Mariner]

Having not been there, it's hard to say what I would have done in his shoes. He takes full responsibility for his decision, and acknowledges his mistakes. You've got to consider that this is San Diego, where weather like that is uncommon. And, of course, I'm sure having the boat's builder aboard must have factored into the decision making process in some way. I'd probably have a hard time saying to someone, "sorry, I don't think the boat you designed and built is capable of handling this weather."

Information about this event seems to be somewhat spotty and spread around the internet, but it appears that another boat also capsized that day, perhaps while towing or assisting the Defiance; a Boston Whaler owned by the San Deigo Life Guards.

[RicM]

I hear you Mariner, but I think the most courageous decision any captain can make, and probably the most difficult for many reasons is to turn around and go back WELL before the $h!t hits the fan. Our crews depend on us to not only know the conditions at the moment, and what they are predicted to be throughout the time period in question, but to look forward and consider the "what if's" and "then whats" that MAY occur, and weigh them against the mission. Are we ferrying needed medical supplies to an isolated island? Are we searching for a missing kayaker? Well then we may have to take some chances for the greater good with a crew that is informed and equipped for the danger involved. A fishing tournament? I'm not sure that's worth risking that kind of weather and for what? Ego? Excitement? Because you don't want to look like a wimp?
Don't get me wrong here, bad things can happen to us at any random point in time. I did have a friend flipped by a rogue wave on a sunny day in 2-3 ft seas a few years back. He was casting to the shoreline with his back to the ocean. He told me he will NEVER turn his back on the ocean again! In this case the captain admits it was iffy when they headed out and it got worse than he expected, faster than he expected. That's a miscalculation in my book.

[RobS]

Interview with Capt. & Crew:
http://www.youtube.com/user/inunyabiz#p ... 5hKguHo30Y

And I'm guessing this is the boat or one just like it:
http://www.defianceboats.com/content.ph ... &gallery=1

[Mariner]

So what I'm taking away from this is that it's not a good idea to have an automatic inflating PFD a regular PFD inside the cabin. Perhaps the best location for the regular PFD's is in the cockpit, attached with something easily removed, like velcro or similar. If you're going to wear a PFD inside the cabin, it should be a manually inflating model.

[RobS]

So what I'm taking away from this is that it's not a good idea to have an automatic inflating PFD a regular PFD inside the cabin. Perhaps the best location for the regular PFD's is in the cockpit, attached with something easily removed, like velcro or similar. If you're going to wear a PFD inside the cabin, it should be a manually inflating model.

Yeah, keep it with you when in the enclosed quarters (cabin, pilothouse, etc.) and don't actually put it on until you're on deck...

[jillsusan]

GLAD TO SEE EVERYONE IS OK-- YOU ARE VERY LUCKY

29 FT BOAT-- 20 FT SEAS OUTBOARDS


WITH ALL DUE RESPECT-- WAS CATCHING A FEW MORE FISH WORTH RISKING LIVES?

THE SEAS DID NOT ALL OF A SUDDEN GO FROM 3- 20 FT-- YOU WENT OUT AND THEY WERE THERE YET YOU STILL BEGAN TO FISH.

NOW IF I KNEW YOU-- I WOULD NEVER BE ON A BOAT WITH YOU AGAIN.

IT WAS TOTALLY IRRESPONSIBLE AND LACKED ANY AND ALL JUDGEMENT.

MORE IMPORTANTLY-- I AM GLAD THAT ALL ARE OK, BUT I AM SURE YOU WILL ATTEMPT SOMETHING LIKE THIS AGAIN IN YOUR NEXT BOAT THAT INSURANCE WILL MOST LIKELY PAY FOR. BECAUSE YOU WILL ADVISE YOUR CREW NEXT TIME " I LEARNED FROM THE LAST TIME WHAT NOT TO DO" UNFORTUNATELY- WHAT NOT TO DO WAS GO OUT IN THE FIRST PLACE.

I HAVE FRIENDS WHO HAVE TO FISH IN ANY CONDITION TO PROVE THEMSELVES. AND ADD TO THE POUNDS OF FISH THEY ALREADY HAVE IN THEIR FREEZER.

BUT AGAIN- I AM GLA EVERYONE IS OK-- BUT YOUR STORY SHOULD ANGER PEOPLE AS TO YOUR LACK OF RESPONSIBILLITY TO GO OUT IN THE CONDITIONS IN THE FIRST PLACE.

[Butch]

I think when you are measuring the distance between waves as a determanent to get underway, something else is influnencing one's decision.

[jillsusan]

I THINK WHEN YOU ARE IN A 29 FT VESSEL WITH OTHER PEOPLE ON BOARD AND THERE ORE 20 FT SEAS OUT THERE-- OR EVEN 10 FT SEAS OUT THERE

IT DOES NOT TAKE A ROCKET SCIENTIST TO UNDERSTAND IT IS TIME TO STAY AT THE DOCK

MAYBE ON THE WEST COAST IT IS DIFFERENT-- BUT IN THE NORTHEAST-- 10 FOOTERS PLUS OUT THERE- EVEN IN WIDE SPREAD SWELLS-- COAST GUARD USUALLY CLOSES THE INLETS

YOU GO OUT IN THOSE CONDITIONS-- WHAT DO YOU EXPECT-- OF COURSE IT WAS THE CAPTAINS FAULT.

MIGHT AS WELL GO TO TAHOE AND DRIVE HIS SUV 75 MILES AN HOUR IN A BLIZZARD, ON THE SNOW AND ICE-- HE HAS 4 WHEEL DRIVE-- ????

I AM SURE THIS GUY DOES THAT AS WELL.

THEN FIGURES THE ONLY MISTAKE HE MADE AFTER RUNNING OFF A CLIFF AND SURVIVING WAS THAT HE SHOULD HAVE LOWERED THE AIR PRESSURE IN HIS TIRES BEFORE HE LEFT HOME

[Legacy]

I think we have all voiced our opinions. Let's not make this personal. Glad everyone made it home safe. Thanks all.

Rick

[zinbaad]

The posting of an experience, both good and bad can be a good life lesson for us all. Although I do agree, that an experienced Capt with all the Technology available today to check weather, wind, tide flows etc, should take that responsiblity extremely serious regarding the life & property of all aboard, mistakes do happen. Thank God all are safe.
The bashing or character assassination is not acceptable on the Albin board. Please refrain from posting anything of this nature