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Article: Past tragedy leads to safer future.
- Article from:
- Coast Guard Magazine
- Article date:
- May 1, 2007
- Author:
CopyrightCOPYRIGHT 2007 U.S. Coast Guard. This material is published under license from the publisher through the Gale Group, Farmington Hills, Michigan. All inquiries regarding rights should be directed to the Gale Group. (Hide copyright information)
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On the night of Feb. 12, 1997, the crew aboard a 31-foot sailboat, the Gale Runner, became trapped during a violent storm in the waters off the rugged and often dangerous Pacific Northwest coast near La Push, Wash. The master attempted to escape the fury of the storm by sailing to a nearby marina, but that attempt was thwarted when 25-foot waves and 30-knot winds dismasted the boat and blew out hatches and portholes.
After the vessel became flooded and the engine failed, it began to drift dangerously toward nearby rock formations. The crew called for help.
First to answer the call was a search and rescue crew from Coast Guard Station Quillayute River, ...