Thursday, December 06, 2007

ATSI

3 comments:

Unknown said...

Unsure if my first note was sent .. I was aboard BofR 1 wk each of 1974, 1975 & 1976 .. Please let me know if first note not received. J. W. Adams .. AdamsNorth@aol.com .. 845-226-5235 .. {|8<)#

Anonymous said...

Coast Guard Castle Hill station rescued Bill of Rights twice!
1st: Summer 1980, was in a gale off Brenton reef, Newport Rhode Island. Blew a main sail and was drifting backwards toward shore. Patrol Boat 41321 underway with Timothy Donahue, Pawtucket RI, coxswain. Robert LeRoyer, Taunton MA, engineer. ? Muldoon, New Jersey, seaman. We took her in tow after several attempts to toss a line to her,, towed her back to Newport Harbor.
2nd Was in October 1980 or 81? Patrol Boat 44357. Bill of Rights was tied up to the dock at Fort Adams. Wind blowing her hard against the dock and threatening her shrouds as the tide went out. Timothy Donahue, coxswain. Tony ?, Bronx, seaman. Steve Petit seaman.
Tony tied us off to the stern and we towed her stern first into the harbor. When she anchored, I told Tony to let go the towline. He replied i can't get it undone!,, as the schooner began to swing around dragging us like a toy behind it.. We finally settled and i found out the problem,, Tony had the towline in a big knot on the tow bit,, he was drunk,, he was a big black dude from the Bronx,, I yelled at him a little bit,, and he promised never to do that again,, he had a big shit eating grin on him,,, I loved that guy and wish i could find out where he is at now,, good luck Tony..
If anybody has pics of either rescue,, I would love to see them.

CruiserGuy said...

I was the Engineer on board the 41321 during that rescue on Brenten Reef. Whomever you are Anonymous, you were there! The details are correct, but I'd like to add to the inteseted readers that the wind was blowing the BofR back onto the reef and the seas were still exceeding 10 ft. Had we failed to get a line aboard, any number of bad things might have happened that day. I am shocked that we did not ground either vessel. The crew on the prow of the Schooner were very brave as the bowsprit was altenatively under water and then 20+ feet above the surface. It was crazy! The highlight of my career!