January 09, 2007
On the Water with the USCG Auxiliary
I was catching up on some reading the other day and was flipping through the November issue of PropTalk, a great publication that focuses on power boating in the Chesapeake, and came across a nice little article on a Coast Guard Auxiliarist using his RIBCRAFT 5.85 for patrols, A Day On Patrol With the USCG Auxiliary, by Art Pine.
Jim Welday (a RIBCRAFT owner since 2003) has been a member of the Coast Guard Auxiliary for over 14 years. Welday uses his RIBCRAFT 5.85 for patrols. In the past year alone, he has logged more than 300 hours on the boat patrolling the waters of the Chesapeake.
Before purchasing the RIBCRAFT, Welday used a hardsided 21’ bowrider for his patrol duties. As the article mentioned: “This one [RIBCRAFT 5.85] is the ultimate in search and rescue craft. Besides the usual array of safety gear, it’s rigged with Auxiliary patrol signs, red-and-amber flashing strobe lights, a Sampson post for towing, and twin bridles and towlines. Welday can easily top 25 knots in an emergency…”
The article continued recounting an average day on patrol with Welday and highlighted some of his more memorable rescues over the years. The author concluded the article by saying: “Welday’s new boat has proven to be a good choice for his search and rescue efforts. The rigid inflatable ‘works a lot better than conventional boats,’ he [Welday] says, enabling him to ‘get up closer to other boats and talk to people,’ rather than having to shout or use a loud-hailer. “That way, you don’t have to worry as much’, he says.”
If you’re interested in reading more about this, I highly recommend contacting PropTalk for a subscription and a copy of the November Issue. It’s a great magazine that’s not only a good read, but free!
PropTalk, www.proptalk.com
Here's a picture of Jim Welday's 5.85 from a few years ago while on patrol.
Posted by ribcraftusa at January 9, 2007 01:37 PM
