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ATLANTIC CITY - Jeff George's dolphin-sighting boat Cruisin' 1 usually doesn't do Mondays.

He made an exception this week, then immediately wished he hadn't.

The Atlantic City Cruises tour Monday afternoon encountered winds of 28 to 35 mph and 4- to 7-foot seas, so George cut it short after 10 minutes with his passengers' comfort in mind.

When the returning 60-footer was a mile from home, the choppy ocean, or something in it, trimmed 6 to 8 feet off the top of the bow.

The 43 passengers and three crew members donned life jackets, a first in the tour company's 22 years. A distress call went out. The boat remained seaworthy, but less aerodynamic.

"I'm no longer slicing through waves, I'm plowing at that point," George said.

Various marine-aid agencies came to Cruisin' 1's aid, but the boat returned under its own power to its dock at Gardner's Basin.

"We were never in danger," George said. "Everything was above the waterline."

No one was injured, though "everyone was a little shook up," the captain said.

"He handled his passengers very well. They all had life jackets on, and they were all in the stern," said John McLaughlin, of Sea Tow, who piloted one of the escort boats in the inlet.

George did not see or hear the injury to his boat, he said. "I'm not sure if it was a wave or a piece of debris."

"It was pretty nasty out," McLaughlin said. "It must have been a pretty good-sized wave for it to just rip the bow of the boat off."

Wind speeds fell short of triggering a Coast Guard gale warning, which would have kept the boat off the water, George said. He had a pre-arranged tour of folks who had off from school or work for the Jewish holiday Yom Kippur.

Coast Guard inspectors will continue checking the boat Tuesday. Repairs are expected to take two weeks, so George hopes to return to service around Columbus Day weekend and continue until Thanksgiving as usual.

As for the insurance company's cost estimate, George said, "if it's the deductible only, then I'll wince. If it's more than that, I'll cry."

E-mail Eric Scott Campbell:

ECampbell@pressofac.com

6 comments:

• Gus Dean (1) posts 10:12 pm

  Great job Jeff! I am happy to hear that your cruiser made it back in one piece. I have taken this tour and loved it!! I travel to Atlantic City 3 to 4 times a month and it is something that you don't want to miss in Atlantic City. Peace ~ Gus Dean http://www.LovingAC.com

• UPPERFIRST (180) posts 5:37 pm

  So much for Coast Guard inspections, eh? They probably just count the number of life jackets.

• tourtelvis (1) posts 8:07 pm

  I was on this trip yesterday with my 4 year old daughter. The boat seemed fine and it was a perfect day only windy. Leaving the inlet became insanely rough and two miles up Brigantine Beach we turned around to do a sightseeing bay cruise and return another day with rainchecks for the dolphins. Then, it was like the perfect storm with casinos and the beach in sight right next to us. There were senior citizens and kids on board. Putting my daughters life jacket on with people screaming, falling into us and getting seasick was the most surreal experience I hope to ever have. The captain and crew were fantastic to keep panic at a minimum. Just an unbelievable turn of events. A very powerful reminder from Mother Nature! Great job by Captain, crew and emergency responders! Thank God!

• kellybell89 (1) posts 7:05 pm

  i was on this boat last week, it was completely sound and a great ride. Mother Nature has a nice way of ruining things.

• PhishPhan (73) posts 12:08 pm

  They were VERY lucky. If that happened 4 miles out instead of 1 mile, we would be reading a very sad story.

• bigjack609 (63) posts 12:04 pm

  This boat has been rotting from the inside out for at least 15 years.You can pile on all the fiberglass you want but when it is on rotten wood things like this will happen.Copy the picture then blow it up and you will see the the bow was ripped off at deck level and the ribs that are showing are bad,no blame though you can not inspect what you can not see.Maybe now they will drill a small hole to inspect the ribs and deck.

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