In-Depth Training

The 44-foot heavy-weather boat blasted its horn as it pulled away from the U.S. Coast Guard dock for a morning of simulated searches and rescues.

It forged past Oxnard Shores and Hollywood Beach, and rocked back and forth as it made its way over and through the 6-foot waves.

Gallons of water splashed onto the deck, and Boatswains Mate Andy Jones held tight to the wheel. He maneuvered the boat alongside a buoy--which, for the purposes of this exercise represented a sinking vessel--and struggled to keep the boat still long enough for his crew to transfer imaginary information and equipment.

Jones said the best time to practice is during the worst weather, when heavy winds and high waves can jeopardize a rescue.

“Every time you go out you build more confidence,” Jones said. “But you have to know everything. You may have to save somebody’s life.”

About every three days, the Coast Guard station at Channel Islands Harbor receives a call from a boat in danger. Sometimes the vessel is lost and the passengers don’t have any navigation equipment. Other times, a boat may be stuck out at sea because of mechanical problems. And the worst-case scenario is when a boat is on fire, or has capsized and thrown passengers overboard.

When a call comes in, an alarm sounds. And immediately, the boat crew heads to the dock and the command crew rushes to the communications room.

Although its No. 1 priority is rescuing people from boating accidents, the Coast Guard is also responsible for law enforcement, environmental protection and national security. About 170 Coast Guard stations around the country monitor waterways, shores and lakes. The Channel Islands Harbor station is the only one in Ventura County.

The Coast Guard falls under the U.S. Department of Transportation, but reports to the Navy in time of war.

“We’re expected to be the cops, firemen and paramedics on the water, because there is nobody else willing to go out there,” Lt. J.J. Jones said. “Our guys are ready to put out a fire, save a sinking boat and go out in weather nobody else goes out in.”

About 50 people serve at the Channel Islands Harbor station, which was created in 1972. They recruit new members, maintain three boats and an 84-foot rescue cutter and patrol the coast from Coal Oil Point just north of Santa Barbara down to Zuma Beach.

Taking turns in 24-hour shifts, teams monitor communications on the water and prepare to assist boats in trouble--true to the Coast Guard motto “always ready.”

New Appreciation for Sea’s Dangers

The local Guard also helps the National Park Service patrol the National Marine Sanctuary, maintains seven lighthouses and manages eight government-leased houses and an RV park.

Boatswains Mate Randy Mitchell, 42, has served in the Coast Guard for more than 20 years, three of those at Channel Islands Harbor. He said it’s not for everybody.

“It sounds exciting when they’re sitting inside listening to a recruiter,” Mitchell said. “But then they get out on the water and realize that it’s not for them, and that they get seasick real bad.”

Andy Jones left his construction job in Colorado Springs, Colo., to join the Coast Guard in 1989. He said he had always loved the water, after spending summers as a child fishing, swimming and water-skiing in the Great Lakes.

But after 10 years in the Coast Guard, Jones said he has a new appreciation for life--and for the ocean.

“I still love the water as much as ever,” Jones said. “I just have a little more respect for it. You don’t realize how small you are until you are actually out looking for someone in the water. The ocean is huge.”

Jones attended Coast Guard boot camp in New Jersey and served at stations in Detroit and Pensacola, Fla., before being transferred here in July. Now he spends as much time as possible on the water, getting “wheel time” on the 44-foot boat.

“This job never gets boring,” Jones said. “You never know when you are going to get a search and rescue case or when you are going to have to clean up an oil spill. It changes all the time.”

To join the Coast Guard, applicants must be U.S. citizens, have high school diplomas and be between the ages of 17 and 27. All prospective Coast Guard members attend a two-month boot camp in Cape May, N.J., where they receive training in firefighting, first aid and weapons handling.

They learn how to use several weapons, including 9-millimeter handguns, shotguns, M-16 automatic rifles and M-1 rifles. Every time crews go out on the water, they carry along at least a handgun and a shotgun.

Under its law enforcement duties, the Coast Guard is authorized to board ships and make arrests. While local teams have arrested illegal immigrants and drug traffickers in past years, they primarily enforce fish and game laws and boating safety regulations. And occasionally, they target drunk boaters and boat thieves.

Last summer, the Coast Guard arrested an Arizona man for operating a boat while intoxicated. His sailboat had struck a breakwater in the Port Hueneme Harbor. And two years ago, the Coast Guard was called after a stolen fishing boat ran aground at Santa Cruz Island and three men were spotted fleeing.

They also protect the environment by helping to clean up oil spills and tracking and catching polluters. In February, the Coast Guard helped clean up San Buenaventura State Beach after a landslide ruptured an oil pipeline and spilled 8,400 gallons of oil onto the shore.

Rescues Bring Most Satisfaction

In 1993, the Coast Guard was called when a freighter and an oil tanker collided in the Santa Barbara Channel, spilling thousands of gallons of heavy crude and causing what officials called the worst oil-spill disaster off the Southern California coast in more than 20 years.

Occasionally, they even search for and rescue marine animals. When a green sea turtle swam into a pipe at the Edison Station at Ormond beach in August, a Coast Guard crew guided the confused and injured turtle back out to the ocean.

Most members say they don’t mind doing law enforcement and environmental protection, but that they joined the Coast Guard to rescue people. Crews may rescue victims of natural disasters, such as floods or hurricanes. Locally, they often rescue passengers after boating accidents near the Channel Islands Harbor.

“I love the feeling that you have when you rescue somebody,” Mitchell said. “The greetings, hugs and thanks you get make it all worth it.”

Last winter, Mitchell helped rescue an elderly couple who set out to have a relaxing day at the Channel Islands. When they left, they could see the island clearly. But as the fog rolled in unexpectedly, the couple got lost and couldn’t find their way home. They called the Coast Guard on their cell phone, but a 15-second call got cut short by a dead battery.

Coast Guard officials asked the crucial questions: Where were you on the island? What direction were you headed? And what direction were the waves coming from?

From that information, a team in a Coast Guard helicopter located and rescued the couple, just south of Point Mugu and dangerously close to the surf zone.

Mitchell said he treats every call seriously. During the day, minor problems, such as getting off course, don’t seem so serious. But at night, a boat could get pulled into the surf and capsize, and become virtually invisible.

Although Coast Guard crews have saved hundreds of people, every year people die on the water. Last summer, a 30-year-old Thousand Oaks man died while jet-skiing in Ventura Harbor. And earlier this month, two canoeists died after waves swamped their 40-foot outrigger near Channel Islands Harbor.

“You always feel sad and think ‘If I had done things differently,’ ” Mitchell said. “You always second-guess yourself.”

Andy Jones said there are real highs and real lows in his job.

“You do everything you can, but people do die,” he said. Coast Guard officials say they do everything they can to prevent accidents, including holding safety classes and urging boaters to wear life jackets. If people used safety equipment, Mitchell said, the Coast Guard’s job would be much easier.

More than 60% of boating accidents result from capsizing, falling overboard or flooding. In all of those cases, Coast Guard officials say, a life jacket could prevent an accident from becoming fatal.

“We don’t go out to hammer people,” Jones said. “We go out to make sure they have a good day on the water and get back safely.”