Page 22. MAINE COASTAL NEWS August 2014 The Best Racing We've Seen in Years!


second going to UNCLE’S UFO and WILD WILD WEST third.


Who would take the top title as the Fastest Lobster Boat? Four boats were on the line THUNDERBOLT, UNCLE’S UFO, WTF, and WILD WILD WEST. When the fl ag dropped it was THUNDERBOLT grab- bing the lead, but right on her transom was WTF. As they headed for the fi nish WTF kept gaining and as they crossed WTF had the win by half a boat length. Third went to UNCLE’S UFO.


FLIRTIN' WITH DISASTER, UNCLE BUBBA and OLD SCHOOL at Bass Harbor. Continued from Page 1.


and over, 28 feet and over) they were raced together. This was the fi rst real test for both UNCLE’S UFO and WILD WILD WEST. As they came up the course you could see that WILD WILD WEST had a two boat length lead and went on for the win. The comment heard from several people after the race was “where’s the smoke?” There has been some great racing in Class M (40 feet and over, up to 750 hp) and the winner was Patrick Faulkingham’s GRAMP’S BIRD


[Osmond 40; 700-hp Iveco]. Class N (40 feet and over, 750 hp and over) fi rst over the line was Jeremy Alley’s LOBSTAR. In the Wooden Boat Race four boats came to the line and the winner was WIDE OPEN.


In the Gasoline Free-for-All THUN-


DERBOLT crossrf the line fi rst with a speed of 47.9 mph.


The next big race of the day was going to be the Diesel Free-for-All with UNCLE’S UFO, WTF and WILD WILD WEST facing off with four others. WTF took the win with


What a day of racing and everyone was excited to see what would happen at the next race at Moosabec Reach. There was also hope that several other boats might ap- pear; such as Wes Shute’s DAYDREAMER [South Shore 30, Chevrolet], the Libbys NIGHTMARE [Young Brothers 30; 400 cid] and Galen Alley hopefully will have LORNA R. [30’ Riley Beal; 496 Chevrolet] running.


* * * * *


MOOSABEC REACH – The Moosabec Reach lobster boat races were scheduled for 5 July, but Mother Nature changed every- thing due to Hurricane Andrew. The races were postponed one day, and we had sunny skies with a light southwest breeze. Sign ups were steady and in the end there were 66 boats entered.


UNITED STATES NAVY NEWS Continued from Page 8.


In port to participate in numerous Inde- pendence Day and Old Home Week events, on Saturday, the ship’s crew was notifi ed that a nearby house was on fi re after receiv- ing storm damage from Hurricane Arthur. Anzio’s Rescue and Assistance team of 17 Sailors battled high winds and rain just get- ting to the home where they then provided on-scene fi refi ghting and overhaul efforts. Although the team is trained to render emer- gency assistance and was recently certifi ed on damage control in the basic phase, it had never previously provided residential fi refi ghting support.


“It was a great experience and opportu- nity to use all of our training and work side- by-side with the Eastport Fire Department,” said Damage Controlman 2nd Class Adam Bailey.


The fi re began as a result of high winds damaging a power line, sending 240 volts into the 120 volt appliances in the home. Appliances simultaneously burst into fl ames and the family evacuated. As a result, sur- rounding homes and the high school were in jeopardy. The volunteer Eastport Fire Department responded but faced challenges of downed trees and lack of manpower. “The arrival of these fi refi ghters at a truly critical time was most fortunate for our city,” said Mary Repole, president, Eastport City Council. “Anzio’s personnel worked alongside Eastport fi refi ghters seamlessly and successfully knocked down the fi re, preventing further spread to adjacent homes and the school.”


Homeported in Norfolk, the Anzio crew also assisted on a second call to evacuate a house full of propane and a non-ambulatory resident, as well as with debris removal and traffi c rerouting.


“It was good to be able to fall back on the good training we receive in the Navy and help someone who needed our assistance,” said Lt. j.g. Lee Yochum.


The Eastport Independence Day cele- bration is the largest in the state of Maine. Since 1905, Navy ships have been making port visits here. The Anzio color guard was the fi rst to raise colors in the conti-


nental United States on Independence Day. Anzio Sailors also marched in the Grand Independence Day Parade and competed in fi remen’s muster relays, codfi sh race and a blueberry pie eating contest, to name just a few of the events slated over the holiday weekend.


“The United States Navy has been playing a major role in these celebrations in Eastport with annual ship visits to our little island city for more than 100 years. As such the Navy and its personnel are not just seen as outstanding representatives of our coun- try’s military, they truly have become part of our community and more importantly our Fourth of July family,” said Chris Gardner, executive director, Eastport Port Authority. “The Navy is always so gracious to thank the community for its hospitality over the Fourth but the truth is it’s the community that truly owes the Navy all of our appreci- ation and admiration.”


Kearsarge Completes Sea Trials By Mass Communication Specialist 3rd Class Travis DiPerna, USS Kearsarge Public Affairs


NORFOLK (NNS) -- Amphibious assault ship USS Kearsarge (LHD 3) returned to homeport Naval Station Norfolk, July 14, after completing sea trials.


These sea trials consisted of a series of evolutions to test the integrity of the work performed by the contractors recently performed during a fi ve-month planned maintenance availability at BAE Systems Norfolk Ship Repair.


“During this underway we tested all the work done by contractors at BAE, ship’s force, and AIT (Alteration Installation Team),” said Cmdr. Douglas Waskiewicz, Kearsarge’s chief engineer. This sea trial wasn’t scheduled because the contractors’ work wasn’t trusted, but all installations must be tested at sea to ensure they function properly when needed most. “It is kind of like buying a new car,” said Command Master Chief David Randall. “You don’t buy a car without taking it out for a test drive. It is the same thing. They have done a lot of work on the ship and we wanted to make sure it all works before it’s


There were several new boats signed up and several others with changes. In Die- sel Class H, Oscar Beal’s PAPA’S PRIDE, Wayne Beal 36, 500-hp FPT. In Diesel Class M Stephen Geel’s HAKUNA MATATA, Libby 41, 700-hp C12 Caterpillar; In Diesel Class N, Patrick Feeney of Cutler built a new FRAID KNOT over the winter. She is a Calvin 46 powered with a 1,050-hp C18 Caterpillar. In Gasoline Class D Chad Lib- by’s NIGHTMARE [Young Brothers 30] was repowered with a 454 Chevrolet. One of the big changes was Galen Alley putting in a new engine in FOOLISH PLEASURE. She now has a 712 cubic inch Ford. In Diesel Class A Josef Guptil purchased the former LITTLE LADIES [1999 Osmond 27, 220- hp John Deere], which was formerly owned by Christopher Beal. Derrick Beal’s MISS


Continued on Page 23. NEWS DMR Continued from Page 13.


all signed off on. If anything isn’t working, we have warranties for it to be fi xed.” Once all the testing was completed and the ship pulled back in port, civilian con- tractors came aboard to assess the amount of repairs needed and to create a plan to tackle the job.


Not only was there operational testing of the installments from contractors, but many other evolutions have occurred as a result of this underway period. There have been numerous drills such as man overboard drills, high speed maneuvers and rudder swing checks, fl ying squad drills, crew live fi res, streamed AN/SLQ-25A (Nixie) and main space fi re drills.


“This underway has been stressful and we put in a lot of hours, but I am happy to be back at sea doing what I was trained to do,” said Machinist’s Mate Fireman Trevor Catizone, who works in the forward main machinery room which conducted main space fi re drills and maintains ship’s power. Besides all of the training and drills,


Kearsarge is just trying to get back into the swing of being underway.


“Being in the ship yards wasn’t fun for anyone, but it will get the crew back into the mindset of doing our job, and that is being out to sea protecting our country,” said Ran- dall.


Along with all of the surface warfare


tasks, Kearsarge also performed a fuel cer- tifi cation test, which is part of the overall air certifi cation needed in order to fl y military aircraft off the fl ight deck. The fuel certifi cation involved starting the systems back up in the pump rooms, getting fuel topside without any leakage, inspecting the pipes, pressures, the purifi ers, the hose reels, and all the fuel stations. “It has been a good change of pace and routine for us and that is always good,” said Master Chief Aviation Boatswain’s Mate Lance Hands, Kearsarge’s air department leading chief petty offi cer. “The hours were long and the work was strenuous, but at least the weather has been nice out and I am happy to report that we are now certifi ed to pump fuel.”


Kearsarge will continue with certifi ca- tion exercises throughout the summer.


life raft but, without benefi t of a radio on the life raft, were exposed to the cold and rain as they drifted for the next 9 hours while boats passed by in the fog despite their attempts to call out for help. On Tuesday, Matt Shannon from Rock- land and crew members Rob Stevens and Kristina Whitsell of Arizona were sailing from Carvers Harbor on Vinalhaven to Rockland Harbor aboard Shannon’s 23 foot sailboat, the Kanosera, in dense fog that reduced visibility to less than 200 feet. At approximately 1:30 in the afternoon Shan- non and his crew members, nearly half way between Vinalhaven and Rockland, heard an unfamiliar sound between blasts on an air horn being used by Stevens to signal the Kanosera’s location to other boaters. “We heard someone screaming for help,” said Shannon. “At fi rst I thought it was people messing with us.”


But within minutes, a life raft appeared through the mist with two men aboard. “It was a very surreal experience,” said Shan- non.


Fortunately for Bickford and Deane, the sailboat made no sound as it moved through the fog, other than the occassional air horn blast, which allowed Shannon and his crew to hear the men yell for help. “If we had a motor, I would not have heard them.” Shannon and his crew brought the two on board and gave them food, water and dry clothes. “They were both in jeans and t-shirts and the sternman was cold and shivering, so we put him in a sleeping bag to warm him up,” said Shannon.


Both were starting to feel better when Marine Patrol Offi cers Matthew Wyman and Brandon Bezio arrived at 2:30 in the after- noon, “We got a call from Mr. Bickford’s girlfriend who had been called by him from a cell phone on-board the sail boat,” said Of- fi cer Wyman. “When we arrived, they were both recovering but still feeling the effects of being exposed to the cold and rain for 9 hours. We brought them aboard to transport them to Rockland and made sure they were comfortable and warm. We contacted the Rockland Fire/EMS, which met us at the dock.”


“Kudos to the two Marine Patrol offi - cers,” said Shannon. “They took over and did a really great job. It’s nice to know they are out there when you’re on the water.” The Marine Patrol transported the two men to Rockland where they were checked out by Rockland Fire/EMS personnel and released. Neither was transported to the hospital.


The US Coast Guard continues to in- vestigate the cause of the incident.


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