[CINC] Condor on Friday March 11

[Valerie Olson]

Hi All,

3 Grays ... a little shy and some flukes
3 Common Dolphins


And the big story for the day ... the tsunami ...

The harbor was as I have never seen it,  like a river, surging in and  
out, about 3 feet (plus and minus), every 3 minutes or so.  The only  
way we could exit into the Channel was by Captain Mat using all four  
of the engines.  During the day we heard that:

•  The bait barge and a buoy had broken loose. (Bait barge was gone  
when we finally got back into the harbor in the afternoon ... had  
broken in half  ... expect it had sunk.)

•  Sail boats had been barred from departing the harbor because they  
did not have sufficient power to get out.

Our 40 or so passengers included a group of international students  
from UCSB.  We had a rocky ride all day and many were very sick.   
Needless to say, they were all anxious to get back to the dock  
early.  But it was not to be.  When we got to the outside of the  
harbor ...

•  The surge was coming every 1-2 minutes and there was not enough  
time between surges to get back in.  This had been going on for quite  
some time.

• The crane that services the dredge had broken loose from its  
moorings and was a danger to any traffic in the harbor.

•  The Harbor Patrol was even having trouble coming out to give us  
reports.

We waited (and waited) patiently outside the harbor  (while they  
tried to secure the crane) and Captain Mat finally got us in (with a  
patrol boat escort) around 3:40.


It was a day that will not be soon  forgotten.

Valerie Olson, Tara Brown and John Kuizenga (PID)