Fishing vessel sinks, captain lost

[Ken Buck]

The fishing vessel 'Sirius' (misspelled in some reports as 'Serious') sank Wednesday night and her captain went down with the ship; the 2 other crew members were rescued. Here are a couple links to stories; read 'em soon before they get archived.

I've seen this boat a number of times when rowing around the harbor. It was a nice photography subject and I was hoping to catch it again this year. Fishing is a dangerous line of work. Best wishes to the captain's family.


http://users.rcn.com/kjbuck/boats/images/sirius1.jpg

Village Soup story (http://www.knox.villagesoup.com/Community/story.cfm?storyID=57925)

Portland Press Herald story (http://pressherald.mainetoday.com/news/coast/050715portclyde.shtml)

[Ken Buck]

The previous pic was from July 2003. The picture below was taken in October 2004.

http://users.rcn.com/kjbuck/boats/images/sirius2.jpg

[mmd]

Sad story - condolences to family & friends.

On a bit more hard-nosed viewpoint: My, my; there seems to be a lot of high centre-of-gravity equipment on that boat (outriggers, power block, elevated net reel, etc.) and precious little freeboard. With all that stuff on top of a relatively shallow hull form, it wouldn't take much water in the bilge to remove all righting moment.

[Alan D. Hyde]

Our heart-felt condolences to the family.

May God bless, guard, and guide them thru the tough days ahead.

Too many of our ancestors went this way, going back 700 years that we know of. Mostly Pike's, fishing out of the West of England at first, then out of Newfoundland and New England. It can be a tough life, but sometimes a good one. Moses Pike and Moses, Jr., and many of our relatives out of Newburyport in the late 19th Century, took to being shipmasters on commercial vessels. Less hazardous work there, and better money...

Alan & Joy

[ 07-15-2005, 03:39 PM: Message edited by: Alan D. Hyde ]

[Gary E]

Friday, July 15, 2005

Grief settles on Port Clyde

By BETH QUIMBY, Portland Press Herald Writer

Copyright © 2005 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.
E-mail this story to a friend

Gary Thorbjornson was using the older of his two boats because of federal restrictions.

The Erika Lynn sits moored in the mist of Port Clyde on Thursday. The vessel is owned by Gary Thorbjornson, 41, who is presumed to have died when a boat he co-owned with his brother sank about 25 miles off Matinicus Island on Wednesday.

Gerald Cushman, who responded to the distress call, said of his fellow fishermen: "They are in tears out there looking for a friend, picking up debris."


PORT CLYDE — The sadness that settled over this seaside village at the news that 41-year-old Gary Thorbjornson, a skilled fisherman, had been lost at sea was mixed with bitterness and anger Thursday.

"The only reason he was on that boat was because of the laws and regulations," said David Clough, a friend who was repeating the words of Thorbjornson's wife, Tammy. She was in seclusion at the couple's home.

Thorbjornson went down with his fishing boat, the Serious, about 25 miles south of Matinicus Island on Wednesday night. A search by two U.S. Coast Guard cutters, about a half-dozen fishing boats and a Coast Guard jet out of Cape Cod was called off at 6:10 p.m. Thursday after a thick fog, which had lifted for the afternoon, rolled back in. Rescue officials determined it was unlikely Thorbjornson had survived.

The fisherman went down in 47-degree waters, which a person could survive for about two to three hours before succumbing to hypothermia, said Chris Barry, group controller at the Coast Guard field office in Southwest Harbor.

"We have used up all our ideas," he said.

According to accounts from family and friends, Thorbjornson was captaining the 50-foot wooden dragger and had been out for several days after groundfish. His son, Garrett, 17, and friend David Wilgus, 19, of St. George were the crew.

Shortly before dusk Wednesday, the boat began to take on water in rough seas. Officials say they may never know why. The wind was blowing 20 to 25 mph in 6-foot seas. Thorbjornson put in a distress call to a sister ship, the Irene Elta, about five miles away, and started pulling out survival gear. Wilgus clung to a mast while Garrett Thorbjornson held open the door to the cabin as his father scrambled for more gear inside.

Then a large wave crashed over the stern. The boat rolled over and Wilgus and Garrett Thorbjornson were washed under the boat, said Gerald Cushman, a Port Clyde lobsterman who joined the rescue effort.

Wilgus was the first to surface, followed by Garrett Thorbjornson, a survival suit and the life raft. But there were no signs of Gary Thorbjornson. The two young men crawled into the boat and, sharing the survival suit, set off flares.

The crew on the dragger Irene Elta saw the flares and pulled them from the sea.

On sea and shore, word of the distress call spread rapidly. Within minutes, Cushman had headed to the scene with his friend, Tad Miller, at the helm of the Mallory Sky. They were the second boat on the scene and took the rescued men on board.

The story unfolded as they were taken back to Tenants Harbor.

Both young men were unhurt. Wilgus' father, Craig, said it was his son's maiden fishing voyage.

"He has had a long day and night," the father said. His son, who attends the University of Southern Maine, was tired, upset and trying to come to terms with the tragedy, he said.

Some friends and family blamed the sinking on federal regulations designed to protect the dwindling groundfish population.

Because of restrictions on the number of days his two boats could fish, Thorbjornson, who co-owned the Serious with his brother, used the older boat in the summer months, said Clough. He saved his newer, sounder steel dragger, the Erika Lynn, for the winter, when conditions are much rougher.

Fighting back tears, Cushman said the fishermen of Point Clyde find it hard to fathom why the government manages to subsidize farmers but never seems to have any money for the hard-pressed fishing industry.

High fuel prices this year have hurt even more.

"The money is so thin," said Cushman, 37.

Cushman, a fifth-generation fisherman, said he remembers when there were 18 draggers based in Port Clyde. Today there are nine.

On Thursday, many of them were out helping in the search. "They are in tears out there looking for a friend, picking up debris," said Cushman.

Thorbjornson was a second-generation draggerman who was known for his skill and hard work.

Nicknamed "Hopper," he was friendly and liked by everyone, and when he was not fishing for a living, he was fishing for fun, said Kirsten Clough, a cousin of Thorbjornson's wife.

"Everyone knows Gary and his family," said Marsha Rome, a sales clerk at the Port Clyde General Store, which bustled Thursday with customers and tourists.

But a short walk away, the parking lot at the fishing pier where the draggers unload their catch was mostly deserted. Thorbjornson's pickup truck was parked in the back as two men stood on the pier casting lines.

Information from The Associated Press was used in this report.

Staff Writer Beth Quimby can be contacted at 791-6363 or at:

bquimby@pressherald.com

So sad, may God be with all involved...

On another note, look at the condition of that boat, is that typical, I hope not.
used the older boat in the summer months, said Clough. He saved his newer, sounder steel dragger, the Erika Lynn, for the winter, when conditions are much rougher.

[JimD]

:(

[Ken Buck]

BTW, this is their other fishing boat (the Erika Lynn) that was referred to in the story. It's a fairly impressive boat.

http://users.rcn.com/kjbuck/boats/images/erikalynn.jpg

A few comments:
These boats are all somewhat similar in having a lot of tall structure and perhaps poor deck drainage, but it's the nature of the beast. I don't know at what point the line gets crossed and it becomes excessively dangerous. Fishing is dangerous to start with. Some of the older boats were not originally designed this way, so the refits may not always have been well thought out. I think some of these issues were discussed in the Perfect Storm book.

I know nothing about the Sirius in particular except that in late 2004, it didn't look like it had seen a paint brush in a long time. It was clearly an older wooden boat. Still, it may have been sound and seaworthy, despite the appearance. Perhaps it's best to reserve judgement for now, and just pay our respects to her captain and his family. There are probably some lessons to be learned, eventually.

[Ken Buck]

Here are a few of the other fishing boats from Port Clyde; pictures taken in 2003. Enjoy...

http://users.rcn.com/kjbuck/boats/images/tayloremily.jpg

http://users.rcn.com/kjbuck/boats/images/captnlee.jpg

http://users.rcn.com/kjbuck/boats/images/windsong.jpg

http://users.rcn.com/kjbuck/boats/images/athenah.jpg

http://users.rcn.com/kjbuck/boats/images/lesliejessica.jpg

http://users.rcn.com/kjbuck/boats/images/ellachristine.jpg

[Meerkat]

"'Sirius' (misspelled in some reports as 'Serious')"

"Serious" is how many people pronounce "Sirius".

[mmd]

Ken, I didn't mean any disrespect to Capt. Thorbjornson by my comments. Untimely loss of life is always a tradgedy and fishing extracts more than its fair share. Members of my family have gone to sea and not returned.

Beneath the surface of these sad accidents there lies an argument between fishermen, the people who design and build commercial fishing boats, and legislators about what constitutes fair and reasonable minimum stability requirements for fishing craft. It is a debate that I have thought a lot about, and have formed quite strong opinions on. But that is a discussion for another thread at another time.

Let's hope that the sad passing of Capt. Thorbjornson will spark action to foster a safer work environment for remaining and future fishermen and women.

[Ken Buck]

re: Sirius / Serious

Agreed, an easy mistake to make. Also, easy to correct. smile.gif

To mmd:

Don't worry, I didn't mean to sound critical. I have some thoughts of my own about what may have caused or contributed to the accident. But, there's plenty of time for that.

[Jack Heinlen]

No disrespect here either. I don't think looking at the accident and the boat with jaundiced eye, even at this point, is disrespectful. I'll wager his fellow fishermen, who apparently liked the skip very much, have been speculating the last few days. Gary Thorbjornson was by all accounts a very fine fellow.

A report that came out in the local TV reporting, early on, was that Sirius had had a few large leaks fixed just before she put to sea.

An initial report from the two young survivors said that they'd just made a haul and the fish hold was open when they were hit by an unusually large sea that boarded over the quarter and partially flooded the hold. The pumps went out and it was a matter of a few moments before she rolled over.

Prayers to his family and friends.

:(

[ 07-16-2005, 09:46 AM: Message edited by: Jack Heinlen ]

[Art Read]

Ain't been a boat built yet that can't be sunk. That so few actually do is a testament to the skill of their skippers.

Those of us sail for pleasure take to the sea when the whim, and conditions, suit us. Those who wrest a living at sea often have to take what they get. It's the nature of the calling that so many who are lost are also among the very best at what they do.

God rest this good fisherman's soul and please continue to look out for us all, fools, drunks and true masters alike, when we venture out on your great waters.

[Ken Buck]

The Courier Gazette has a story as well, at:

Courier Gazette story (http://www.courierpub.com/articles/2005/07/15/couriergazette/local_news/n1sink.txt)

A quote:

"The vessel was on its second day of fishing. The dragger had left Port Clyde on Monday and was at Jeffrey's Bank.

"A 4- to 5-foot wave hit us in a weird way," he said. The wave sent water into the vessel and little by little more water was coming onto the deck.

They got three pumps out, two for the engine room and one for the area where the fish were stored below deck.

In less than an hour, the boat began taking on water faster than the pumps could remove it, and they realized the vessel was going to sink. Wilgus said they had about two minutes from when they realized it was sinking to when it went under water."

------------------------

I guess the key was determining the point at which the vessel needed to be abandoned. Unfortunately it wasn't evident soon enough. A judgement call, probably hard to make. Especially when it's your own boat sinking. :(

[Gary E]

Vessel Name: SIRIUS USCG Doc. No.: 277923
Vessel Service: COMMERCIAL FISHING VESSEL IMO Number: *
Trade Indicator: Fishery Call Sign: WK7974
Hull Material: WOOD Hull Number: *
Shipyard
and Address: *
* Year Built: 1958
Hullyard
and Address: *
FRIENDSHIP ME Length (ft.): 50.6
Hailing Port: TENANTS HARBOR ME Hull Depth (ft.): 7
Owner: F/V SIRIUS INC
PO BOX 80 ROUTE 131
TENANTS HARBOR, ME 04860 Hull Breadth (ft.): 13.6
Gross Tonnage: 31
Net Tonnage: 25
Documentation Issuance Date: August 17, 2004 Documentation Expiration Date: September 30, 2005

Previous Vessel Names: No Vessel Name Changes Previous Vessel Owners: No Vessel Owner Changes

===========================================

Looks like only one owner since it was built.
But how can that be as the Capn was "41-year-old Gary Thorbjornson" and the boat is built in 1958 and is 47 yrs old.

Question for someone who actually knows...
Are these vessels actually inspected and given a "Pass/Fail" by the Coast Guard or anyone else such as an insurance co that would permit or not permit them to be used?

Edit...
Does corporate ownership of the boat allow a new owner to just buy the corporation and all corp assets, and with that change of ownership they can say no boat ownership changed?

[ 07-16-2005, 09:45 PM: Message edited by: Gary E ]

[Jack Heinlen]

Ken,

It's typical that media reports are muddled at this point; often not much better than gossip. It will be interesting to see what the USCG has to say.

Brian,

The media have been reporting that the skipper owned two boats and only used the Sirius in milder summer weather. But as to details...? I don't know inspection requirements.

[Ken Buck]

I don't know for certain, but there are some documents that you can find on the web that indicate the Sirus, the Erika Lynn, the Stress Express, and perhaps other boats were owned at some point by Edward Thorbjornson (I believe the father of Gary). I don't know what the current status is, but the captain isn't always the owner.

[Ken Buck]

Scenes from Port Clyde today:

http://users.rcn.com/kjbuck/boats/images/halfmast.jpg

http://users.rcn.com/kjbuck/boats/images/erikalynn2.jpg

http://users.rcn.com/kjbuck/boats/images/laurendorothy2.jpg

http://users.rcn.com/kjbuck/boats/images/westernwave.jpg

http://users.rcn.com/kjbuck/boats/images/sarahmackay.jpg

[Alan D. Hyde]

May he rest in peace.

Alan

[Alan D. Hyde]

Ken, I hoping you'll keep us up-to-date on further developments.

Is there some sort of fund set up for Gary's family yet?

Scot, his last minutes were spent on a wooden boat, with which he earned his living. Might you be willing to set up a fund on this website, thru which we can contribute by charging to Wooden Boat? I suspect that many others here in addition to our family are ready to add to it...

Alan

[Ken Buck]

I'll investigate if there is a fund set up and let you know.

[Ken Buck]

Another story in the Courier-Gazette:

Courier-Gazette story (http://www.courierpub.com/articles/2005/07/18/couriergazette/local_news/n1probe.txt)

-----

A few excerpts:

"We look to see what was the chain of events and what could have been done to stop it. If we know that maybe we can prevent it from happening another time," Green said.

The 50-foot wooden Sirius was last inspected by the Coast Guard in July 2003 during a routine boarding that the agency does with commercial vessels at sea, according to Ensign Ben Crowell from Coast Guard Group Southwest Harbor.

The emergency radio beacon on the Sirius activated when the vessel sank last week. The beacon - officially known as an emergency position indicating radio beacon - activated at 7:46 p.m. Wednesday, according to Petty Officer Lisa Hennings from the Coast Guard in Boston.

According to David Wilgus of Tenants Harbor, who was aboard the Sirius for the first time and survived the sinking, a large wave hit the ship. It washed over the deck and started a series of events which led to the sinking. He said three pumps were used but could not keep up with the water.

[Alan D. Hyde]

Perhaps she sprung a plank...

Alan

[Ken Buck]

Another story from the Bangor Daily News has some info not mentioned in the other stories; it also identifies the other family members and boats in their fishing fleet.

Bangor Daily News story (http://www.bangornews.com/news/templates/?a=116498&z=179)

-----

Excerpts:

Gary Thorbjornson reached for two survival suits on the roof of the Sirius wheelhouse, but one was stuck. After Gary tossed one suit to the crew, son Garrett held the cabin door open so his dad could go below deck for two more suits.

Then a wave toppled the boat, and all three men went overboard.

Garrett went underwater about 15 or 20 feet before surfacing and finding the life raft. Garrett pulled Wilgus into the raft, too, but his father never came up. They fired several flares into the night sky.

As they waited, the young crewmen shared one survival suit, each keeping an arm and leg warm.

[...]

Family and friends came and went Thursday from Tammy and Gary Thorbjornson's mobile home near the Big Ball Field on Route 131. The Thorbjornsons have been married five years, but have been together for a dozen years, relatives said. Besides Garrett, Thorbjornson has a daughter, Erika, 20, who was flying into Portland on Thursday from Scottsdale, Ariz.

The patriarch of the family, Eddie Thorbjornson Sr., was making his way home from Canada on The Cat ferry with family friend and owner of Monhegan Boat, Jim Barstow. Relatives said they were comforted knowing the elder Thorbjornson had someone to lean on en route.

The Sirius is one of four draggers in Eddie Thorbjornson Sr.'s fleet of fishing vessels.

The 50-foot Erika Lynn, which is made of fiberglass, is usually Gary's boat. Brother Travis Thorbjornson of Thomaston runs the steel 53-foot Lauren Dorothy, and brother Eddie Thorbjornson Jr. of Port Clyde operates the wooden 56-foot Anna Lena. All four vessels are used for groundfishing.

Sirius served as a kind of spare boat, used only when the other boats' regulated fishing days were filled.

----------------

A few thoughts ...

Not sure where survival suits are usually stowed - it sounds like having a couple on top of the cabin is a good idea that almost worked out in this case. Ideally, you'd have enough of them close to at hand for all of the crew. On the other hand, there's the universal problem of how to stow things so that everything is accessible and yet not in your way.

Having a float-free life raft is definitely A Good Thing. It sounds like it saved the lives of the 2 surviving crew. Floating in the cold Maine water for long is not recommended. If the raft hadn't floated free, things could have been much worse.

[Ken Buck]

(oops, duplicate post)

[ 07-18-2005, 11:07 PM: Message edited by: Ken Buck ]

[Ken Buck]

There's another story in the Courier-Gazette, with more details and some speculation on the circumstances of the loss.
another Courier-Gazette story (http://www.courierpub.com/articles/2005/07/20/couriergazette/local_news/2fish.txt)

-----

A few excerpts:

Lost captain lived to fish
by Christina Sobran

TENANTS HARBOR - The sea was in Gary Thorbjornson's blood.

He and his two brothers, Edward E. and Travis, followed in the footsteps of their father, Edward B. Thorbjornson, who began fishing at the age of 16 and gradually built a family fleet of four boats based in Tenants Harbor. Gary's sister, Terrie, spent many years as a professional diver, and his Swedish grandfather sailed the world as a merchant mariner before meeting the Maine woman who convinced him to settle in Tenants Harbor.

Gary Thorbjornson, 41, the captain lost at sea last week aboard the fishing vessel Sirius, died doing what he loved, according to his older brother, Edward.

"Most people fish for a living," Edward said. "Gary lived to fish. He just loved catching fish."

[...]

He was very comfortable aboard Sirius, the boat he captained off and on for nearly two decades.

The boat had been completely restored a decade ago, her wooden hull refastened, planks replaced and wheelhouse rebuilt, Edward said.

"My dad had a sentimental attachment to that boat," Edward said. "It would have been cheaper for him to get rid of it and get a different boat, but he didn't want to let go of her."

The 50-foot wooden Sirius was the smallest and oldest in the Thorbjornson family fleet. Built by Friendship boatbuilder Winnie Lash in 1958, the boat was named after the brightest star in the sky.

[...]

Sirius was in good condition, Edward said, and most recently was hauled out in May at Lyman-Morse boatyard for yearly maintenance.

"The three brothers and my father all chipped in," Edward said. "We'd pretty much gone over the boat and made sure she was ready for the summer fishery and we also had the boat for sale, so everything had pretty much been gone over."

By Wednesday evening, Sirius had been out for 48 hours and was carrying about 6,000 to 7,000 pounds of fish, he said. The hatch covering the fish hold was open when the wave or waves washed over her stern.

Edward said that from talking with the survivors, it is unclear whether one or two waves washed over the port quarter (back, left side). In either case, the fish hold was flooded, causing the boat to list to its port side.

[...]

Edward, who has fished the area for most of his life, said he did not believe the initial report that a single four- or five-foot wave flooded Sirius, adding the two survivors may have underestimated the waves. Later, the captain of the Irene Alton said two eight-foot waves had hit his boat back-to-back while he was looking for Sirius.

[...]

Still, he said, it's hard not to speculate as to what may have happened.

"The ocean has always mistreated and always will," he said. "You can second guess this all you want and you still may not ever come up with the answer to what really took place."

He said he would like the government to consider subsidizing the fishing industry similar to the way it has with agriculture.

"This is a dying fleet," he said. "When my generation's gone, there's really nobody coming up behind us. The small boat part of the fishery is just going to be something you read about because it's not going to exist."

A memorial service for Gary Thorbjornson will be held 1 p.m. Saturday at Marshall Point Lighthouse.