Bill Schmid News

Capt. Paul Leyda and crewmembers of the California Maritime Academy’s Training Ship Golden Bear (TSGB) have been honored with the 2008 Mary Patten Valiant Ship Award and Commendation for Bravery and Outstanding Seamanship. The honor, given by the Women’s Propeller Club of the United States, was awarded in recognition of the actions of the Captain and crew in an August 2008 rescue of two fishermen adrift in a small power boat some 80 miles off the coast of Monterey, Ca. When the single engine on the boat failed, the men managed to radio the Coast Guard.

The ’s 500-ft. training ship Golden Bear rescued two fishermen Sunday evening, August 17th, approximately 80 miles off the . The two men departed the area earlier that day in an open 17-ft. skiff, equipped with a single outboard engine. They told authorities they were heading for offshore fishing grounds when their engine seized up. They then radioed for help to the U.S. Coast Guard in . The Golden Bear was approximately 50 miles away at the time, heading northward on the final leg of her annual three-and-a-half-month summer training cruise to ports in the western and southern Pacific.