Bald Head Island News

The Coast Guard medevaced a man suffering severe abdominal pains from Bald Head Island, North Carolina, Monday.Coast Guard Station Oak Island watchstanders received a report of the 49-year old man's condition and the request for a medevac from medical personnel with the Bald Head Island Public Safety Department.Station Oak Island launched a 29-foot Response Boat-Small boat crew, who embarked the man and two medical personnel at Bald Head Island, and transported them to awaiting EMS personnel at Deep Point Marina in Southport.The two medical personnel were returned to Bald Head Island."It's imperative we continue to work hand-in-hand with our local partners on Bald Head Island," said Senior Chief Petty Officer Josh Meyer, officer-in-charge at Station Oak Island.

Metal Trades, Inc. (MTI) has launched a newly built shallow-draft push boat for Bald Head Island Limited, LLC. (BHI). The new vessel, Capt Cooper, was christened during a June 27 ceremony at the builder’s Yonges Island, S.C. facility. As the first self-powered vessel built by MTI, Capt Cooper signals an expansion of MTI’s service offering to include new vessel construction. The 55-year-old company has been active in heavy metal fabrication, barge building and vessel repair for government and commercial customers.

The U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) rescued two people Thursday aboard a disabled boat approximately 50 miles southeast of Bald Head Island, North Carolina. Henry Fischer, aboard the 33-foot sport fishing boat Atlanta, contacted Coast Guard Sector North Carolina Command Center watchstanders at approximately 5:15 p.m. Wednesday requesting assistance after his boat lost steering. Sector watchstanders dispatched a crew aboard a 47-foot Motor Life Boat from Coast Guard Station Oak Island, North Carolina, to assist. The MLB crew arrived on scene at approximately 10 p.m. Wednesday and placed the Atlanta in tow. A second crew from Station Oak Island got underway aboard a 25-foot Response Boat - Small at approximately 4:25 a.m. Thursday to relieve the first crew from their tow.

The U.S. Coast Guard is monitoring salvage attempts Wednesday of the Bald Head Island Ferry Adventure, which ran aground Tuesday in the vicinity of Battery Island near Southport, N.C. Personnel from Bald Head Island Transportation attempted to refloat the Adventure at approximately 10:30 a.m. Wednesday during high tide without success. The owner of Bald Head Island Transportation is working to submit a salvage plan of the Adventure for Coast Guard approval before any additional action is taken.

The U.S. Coast Guard and partner agencies are responding to a ferry grounding which reportedly caused multiple injuries after the Bald Head Island Ferry Adventure ran aground Tuesday in the vicinity of Battery Island near Southport, N.C. The crew of the Adventure, a 64-foot ferry, contacted Coast Guard Station Oak Island watchstanders via VHF-FM channel 16 at approximately 9 a.m., reporting they ran aground and passengers aboard were in need of medical assistance. Coast Guard…

While the market news from the passenger vessel industry has been anything but bright, a few shipyards are building new facilities to better serve their customer base. One of the best examples is Island Boats, Jeanerette, La., Island Boats formerly was located on a very dry patch of land overlooking Highway 90 near New Iberia, La. . After construction, their vessels had to be trucked to the Port of Iberia, several miles away. "The cost to us and inconvenience to others in the Port was becoming a major problem as our boats got bigger," said Miles Thomas, president of the firm. The firm solved this problem in May by moving to a six acre plot of land that backs up to Bayou Teche, approximately eight miles from the Baldwin Canal that has direct access to the Intercoastal waterway.

In order to preserve Bald Head Island's natural tranquility, its developers have banned cars, and residents have to get around by golf cart and bicycle. Travel to and from the island is by a small fleet of aluminum hulled crew boats. When it came time for the owner's to build a new boat and repower the existing two-cycle boats, they shopped hard and finally settled on Cummins KTA 19M3 engines producing 640 hp each with a Heavy Duty rating. All told, they have ordered six of these well-proven engines. Two will go into a 65-ft. (19.8-m) aluminum boat in January 2003. These will be coupled to ZF665A gears with a 1.75:1 ratio turning 32x34-inch four blade Michigan propellers.