Tour Boat Emergency
Dear Editor: Kudos to Allen Marine for the calm, professional manner in which they handled today’s tour boat emergency on the water!
We were passing near the area in our personal boat when the call came over the VHF that they were taking on water with 78 passengers onboard. We paused to listen to the exchange and see if Good Samaritan aid was needed, as did many other vessels in the area. In less than 45 minutes, the captain organized with a fellow Allen Marine vessel to transfer the passengers off the boat while pumping water out, and got it back in safely for repairs.
I can only imagine the panic the passengers felt, and the captain’s demeanor over the radio was amazingly calm for such a harrowing situation. In our cold, deep waters, every second matters. And I’m sure those tourists will now have an exciting tale to share!
Christy Newell, Sitka
Ballast Water
Dear Editor: I thought it grossly irresponsible for Garry White to be touting the economic miracles of bulk water export, with no mention of the environmental problems associated with ballast water discharge (Sentinel, May 21, 2015).
Here in Sitka, we’re intimately aware of those issues which mirror the spread of invasive marine tunicates, that arrived with the oyster farm in Whiting Harbor.
Perhaps Mr. White could elaborate on the water firms’ plan for treating millions of gallons of ballast water.
Sigurd Rutter, Sitka
