Its ok to breath now…

Long time visitor and contributor to the site, Bilge Rat, sent me this video a few weeks back. It’s a riveting drama of a tug in a dire spot on the fast moving waters of the Mississippi, and another tug comes to the rescue. Also a good lesson for all sailors, whether sailing on green, blue or brown waters, always keep your watertight doors and hatches closed and dogged!

He expands on the video with these comments…

” it was shot from the pilot’s room and he was off watch, one of the boat’s owners (Osage Marine Service) even chimed in in the comments and it appeared that she had not even known this incident had happened. (!!??!!) A good number of people (maybe 8 to 10) have died in St. Louis over the years in high water downstreaming on fleets like that, but the message of closing watertight doors seems to have made it into the collective consciousness down there, to the benefit of these guys. Even when I was on the big boat, whenever we were doing this my helper knew those doors were to be closed when downstreaming was done on his watch… Just too dangerous. “