Flamingo

The Flamingo used to belong to a local fisherman, but now calls Anacortes home.


Abandoned boat towed into harbor
Written by Kelley Atherton, The Triplicate February 16, 2010

Crew jumped off in 30-foot waves, leading to one death

The Flamingo from Anacortes, Wash., is moored in Crescent City after it was towed into the harbor on Monday morning by the tugboat Koos King. The Daily Triplicate/Bryant Anderson
A dozen onlookers watched as the Koos King tugboat from Eureka pulled the fishing vessel Flamingo into Crescent City Harbor on Monday morning.
Last Thursday, two men from Washington state abandoned the Flamingo off Crescent City’s shores when the boat began taking on water in 30-foot waves.
One of the men died and the other was injured after they jumped from the boat into the ocean.
The Flamingo was found about 26 miles southwest of Crescent City on Sunday. The Koos King was contracted by the boat’s insurance company to locate the boat and bring it in.
When the Flamingo arrived in the harbor Monday morning, windows above deck had been blown out and the boat was filled with about two feet of water, said Paul McAndrews, the facilities manager for the harbor district.
As the boat took on water, the electrical system was destroyed, knocking out power to the pumps, he said.
“If the generating system don’t work, the pumps don’t work,” McAndrews said.
Upon arrival, the Flamingo’s engine was still running, and the boat was on autopilot, he said, which most likely kept it from floating out to sea.
“It stayed right where it was,” McAndrews said, explaining how the abandoned Flamingo was probably battling against the wind and current.
A maintenance crew for the harbor pumped water out of the boat and the U.S. Coast Guard was on hand to make sure it wasn’t leaking oil or sinking.
“We had to make sure everything was safe,” McAndrews said.
Michael Nosbaum, a petty officer for the Coast Guard Marine Safety Detachment in Humboldt Bay, said that the fuel tanks were secure and that the Flamingo would be “pretty safe in the harbor.”
The Flamingo will likely stay in the harbor until its owners get it running again, McAndrews said.
Click to see video. If it doesn't start automatically, click on "download" at the top right side of where the video is supposed to be. It was definately a wild ride.