Coast Guard commends Bodega Bay fishermen for getting charter boat passengers back to shore safely

The U.S. Coast Guard has commended a Bodega Bay captain and deckhand for saving passengers by beaching their sport fishing charter boat when it began taking on water two months ago.

The 34-foot catamaran Miss Anita had six passengers and two crew members aboard early June 23 when the port hull began taking on water two miles off the coast of Bodega Bay. Capt. Merlin Kolb and his deckhand, Lars Farnsworth, quickly ordered everyone to don life vests, turned back toward shore and, despite losing the port engine, were able to navigate the surf and beach the vessel safely on Salmon Creek Beach.

Praising their quick thinking, the Coast Guard presented Kolb and Farnsworth with a certificate of merit Sunday.

“Your courageous actions, diligent focus, and heroic efforts likely saved the lives of the people on board and exemplified your commitment to the safety of life at sea,” the proclamation read.

In an interview, Kolb said a U.S. Coast Guard investigator told him the breach likely came from the failure of a bearing shaft seal.

“It flooded very fast,” Kolb said.

The group of six had originally planned to go salmon fishing, but that morning changed their minds and decided to fish for crab, a fateful decision that kept the boat closer to shore, Kolb said.

“If it weren’t for the client making that change, we’d have been offshore 6 or 7 miles and we would not have made it,” he said.

The decision to beach the craft saved the passengers and crew, but ended Miss Anita’s days.

“It turned sideways and the waves beat the boat to pieces,” Kolb said.

You can reach Staff Writer Kevin McCallum at 521-5207 or kevin.mccallum@pressdemocrat.com. On Twitter @srcitybeat.