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Rescue at Sea

Posted on March 30, 2016
by Maris Wicks
IMGL0006-4lores-1000 IMGL0002-4lores-1000 IMGL0023_1540lores-1000 IMGL0028_1545lores-1000 IMGL0039_1556lores-1000
The Patriach, subject of our search on the open ocean, bobbing in the waves. (Photo by Lance Wills, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Dan Fornari, one of five people on Atlantis who speaks French, communicates with the crew on Patriach. (Photo by Lance Wills, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
The Atlantis crew in the Avon approaches Patriach. (Photo by Lance Wills, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Transfer complete, the Avon returns to Atlantis. (Photo by Lance Wills, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)
Atlantis and Patriach crew approach Atlantis. (Photo by Lance Wills, Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution)

On the evening of Saturday, March 26, R/V Atlantis received a call from the U.S. Coast Guard informing us of a vessel nearby with a severely seasick sailor who needed to be evacuated. It was a French vessel that had originally contacted the French Coast Guard for assistance, which then alerted their U.S. counterparts. After assessing the situation, the U.S. Coast Guard decided that Atlantis presented the best option to safely evacuate, treat, and transport the sick sailor.

We diverted from our course, and set out to find the 70-foot sailboat, Patriach. On the morning of March 27, the crew spotted the sailboat, and prepared to transport the sick sailor and another member of the Patriach’s crew to Atlantis.

The Atlantis crew is no stranger to deploying the small dinghy, the Avon. On days that Alvin dives, they take it out to deploy and recover the sub. Getting over to the Patriarch and transferring two people, however, would be challenging in rough seas. Fortunately, the crew of Atlantis is quite skilled in maneuvering the Avon and, piloted by chief mate P.J. Leonard, second mate Max Kantor, and ordinary seaman Ronnie Whims, the Avon made a successful recovery.

Within a half hour, the two sailors from the Patriach were on board Atlantis. The next step would be getting the sick sailor medical attention. The chief mate is also the ship’s medical officer; P.J.’s training is similar to that of a paramedic and he can consult with a doctor on shore who is on-call 24 hours and who can diagnose and prescribe treatment.

Seasickness is one of the most common ailments at sea and is normally nothing more than an inconvenience, but if it becomes serious can present serious problems, generally in the form of severe dehydration. In our case, however, there was an added challenge with our seasick sailor: a language barrier. Both of the sailors we took on board are French nationals. Fortunately, the science party of the Popping Rocks cruise has five French speakers.

The seasick sailor is in now stable condition and will continue to receive care until we reach port in Charleston when they will be transferred to a shore facility for assessment and further care.

The skill and compassion of the crew and captain of Atlantis had become readily apparent during my short time on this ship. They were made ever more apparent by this rescue and recovery at sea.

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About this expedition: Popping rocks revisited

We will be using the research vessel Atlantis, the submersible Alvin, and the autonomous underwater vehicle Sentry, to find and collect samples of “popping rocks”—basaltic seafloor lavas that contain large amounts of carbon dioxide and other gases trapped in high-pressure bubbles that pop when the rocks are brought to the surface. We intend to use these rocks to understanding the composition and origin of gases in the deep earth. This project began with an expedition in 2016 that was cut short due to mechanical problems. You can still see blog posts from the first trip here, and we will continue adding to them during the 2018 expedition.

Recent Posts

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  • Our Cups Runeth Under
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