ILWACO — A father and his son died Sunday when a pleasure boat capsized off the Washington coast north of the mouth of the Columbia River, the Coast Guard said.
Another man died less than two hours later as a second boat capsized in rough seas in the same area, near Peacock Spit, west of Fort Canby State Park.
A 20-foot boat got caught in 10- to 15-foot breaking waves as it was heading to shore around 2:30 p.m., Coast Guard Ensign Leah Bentley told KOMO-TV.
Roy Thomas, 85, of Salem, Ore., and Robert Graham, 65, of Chehalis, Wash., were not wearing life jackets, said Petty Officer Anthony Juarez of the Coast Guard in Seattle.
Their bodies were recovered by a helicopter, said Lt. Eric Reeter.
A 36-year-old woman — the daughter of the 65-year-old man — and her 33-year-old husband who also were in the boat had been wearing life jackets and were able to make it to shore, Coast Guard officials said.
They were treated for hypothermia and released from Ocean Beach Hospital in Ilwaco, said hospital spokeswoman Debe Wroble.
The second vessel, a 22-foot boat, overturned after waves crashed into its bow just after 4 p.m., Reeter said.
Rescue crews saved three men on board. The fourth man was located by helicopter and transported to the hospital, where he died.
Seattle fishing crew rescued in Alaska: A Coast Guard cutter rescued four members of a Seattle-based fishing vessel that capsized off the coast of Alaska. The men were pulled from frigid waters Saturday around 10:55 a.m. about 75 miles northwest of Ketchikan, near Warren Island, the Coast Guard said in a release. The crew belonged to the 58-foot Joycelyn. Each member had a flotation device, but only the boat’s owner, Dennis Haldane, 50, was wearing a survival suit. The others suffered from hypothermia. The other crewmen were identified as Dennis Parsens, 49; John Dicks, 30; and Lester Nelson, 56. Their hometowns were not immediately known. All were taken to a hospital in nearby Craig. Their conditions were not immediately known. An undetermined amount of fuel from the vessel spilled into the water, Chief Petty Officer Jeff Prince said.
High number of deaths hurting coroner’s budget: An increase in the number of deaths requiring autopsies in Thurston County this summer is causing funds at the coroner’s office to run dry. County officials last week approved $30,000 from a reserve fund to pay for autopsies through the rest of the year. "This is different from previous years," said county administrator Don Krupp, who held a meeting with Thurston County commissioners to inform them of the transfer. There have been many suicides, child deaths and homicides in recent months, coroner Judy Arnold said. Each year, the county budgets for about 60 or 70 autopsies. Through mid-August, 56 had been performed. Almost half of those came in June and July — 11 in June, 15 in July. The coroner’s office responds to all deaths in the county, but conducts autopsies only in certain cases. Each autopsy costs about $1,000.
No injuries reported in boat fire: A speedboat caught fire off Elliot Bay Marina on Sunday evening. No injuries were reported. Two men had just fueled the 17-foot boat when the motor stalled, sparking an explosion around 6:30 p.m., said Seattle Fire Department spokeswoman Helen Fitzpatrick. The men and a dog jumped off the boat and were brought to the marina by another boater, Fitzpatrick said. Firefighters quickly got the flames under control. No other boats were threatened by the fire.
Equilon cuts shipments by 25 percent: Some gas stations in Washington and Oregon were left with less gas during the busy Labor Day weekend. Gas supplier Equilon sent a letter to Texaco and Shell stations saying that it was cutting 25 percent of shipments. The shortage was blamed on unexpected maintenance needs at Equilon’s Anacortes refinery. Equilon wouldn’t say how many gas stations were affected or how long the cuts would last. "This is an unscheduled, unanticipated reduction in gasoline supply," Cameron Smyth of Equilon told KING5-TV. "We have the maintenance, and it’s just unfortunate that it’s occurred over Labor Day weekend." At least one Seattle Texaco station had to close its gas pumps early on Friday. "I came by last night, and I was going to gas up and the pumps were all blocked off and everything," customer Rita Mallick told KIRO-TV on Saturday.
Will Gov. Kitzhaber run for the Senate? The Democrats want to know. So do the Republicans. But so far, all they can do is try to read the mind of Gov. John Kitzhaber, who’s keeping everyone in suspense about whether he’ll run for the U.S. Senate. "The times are calling for John Kitzhaber," says state Democratic Party chairman Jim Edmunson. With his cowboy boots, jeans and well-known independent streak, the Oregon Democrat cuts a charismatic figure. The Democrats are eager to land him as a candidate in their quest to widen their tenuous control of the Senate. Democrats are aiming at Oregon and three other states where they believe they have strong chances. Arkansas Attorney General Mark Pryor has announced he will challenge Republican Sen. Tim Hutchinson; former U.S. Attorney Tom Strickland has decided to take on GOP Sen. Wayne Allard in Colorado; and New Hampshire Democratic Gov. Jeanne Shaheen has formed an exploratory committee for a possible run against GOP Sen. Bob Smith. With a string of election victories behind him, Kitzhaber is a proven winner. But so far, he’s keeping everyone in the dark. "He’s not even discussed this with the staff," said Jon Coney, a spokesman for the governor.
From Herald news services
Talk to us
> Give us your news tips.
> Send us a letter to the editor.
> More Herald contact information.
