Marlintini

Does anyone know the story behind the Clam boat sunk in the Manasquan Inlet Saturday night?

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SELLADAM

I overhead a charter boat captain back at my marina that the crew set the autopilot and fell asleep, and the boat hit the north jeddy. That's all I know. I posted the same question on the Boaters Forum.

DD

I haven't heard the story, but somebody sent me a few photos

fishNJ

Just found the story in the Asbury Park Press, but of course it doesn't say why they hit the jetty. Sleeping's probably about right.

Crew escapes injury when boat hits jetty


[small]Published in the Asbury Park Press 9/26/04
By NICHOLAS CLUNN
STAFF WRITER[/small]
POINT PLEASANT BEACH -- Four commercial fishermen made an emergency stop in the Manasquan Inlet last night after their boat struck a jetty and took on water.

No one was injured when the Michelle K hit the north jetty off Manasquan, said borough police Patrolman Joe Michigan.

Realizing that the water coming on board would prevent them from making it to the boat's regular dock, the crew steered for the inlet wall on the Point Pleasant Beach side and moored there, near the northern end of Ocean Avenue at Inlet Drive.

The men were probably able to climb off the boat without assistance, Michigan said.

The vessel may have sustained heavy damage. Pumps brought in by firefighters were useless in stopping water from coming onboard. By 10 p.m., the boat had stopped sinking, but its deck was covered with water. It was unclear why the boat hit the jetty.

Michigan did not have details about the crew, who were likely heading back from a fishing trip when they got into trouble. Borough police, the Coast Guard and the Marine Division of the State Police were alerted to a boat in distress around 8 p.m.

The Coast Guard is leading the investigation into the accident. The fishermen were being interviewed last night at the Coast Guard station, here.

Divers from the Point Pleasant Beach First Aid and Emergency Squad were assessing the boat's damage and working with a towing company to prepare for moving it. It was not clear how long the boat would stay moored next to the wall.

The accident attracted many on-lookers on both sides of the inlet, which serves as a border between Monmouth and Ocean counties. The clearest view was on the Manasquan side. Police tape kept civilians away from the boat.

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1999 Seaswirl Striper 2600 W/A & 250 HP Johnson O/B

Marlintini

Here's a couple of shots from Sunday

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Member - MRMTC / RFA / JCAA / Stripers Forever

CB Haws

Last year another boat struck the north jetty. Happened in daylight; and admitted to being asleep at the wheel.

fishNJ

Yesterday's update in the Press...no new info though

Coast Guard still probing boat crash


[small]Published in the Asbury Park Press 9/28/04
STAFF REPORT[/small]
POINT PLEASANT BEACH -- The Coast Guard continued yesterday to investigate a crash involving a 91-foot commercial fishing boat in the Manasquan Inlet as well as to oversee the cleanup of gasoline from the boat, authorities said.

The Marine Safety Office in Philadelphia was overseeing the cleanup, Petty Officer John Edwards, a Coast Guard spokesman, said yesterday.

Sea Tow, a company based in Atlantic City, was handling the actual cleanup, although Edwards said some of the boat's fuel spilled into the water during the Saturday crash.

The boat, the Michelle K, was heading into the inlet when it hit a jetty, according to police reports. None of the four crew members was injured.

The boat hit the jetty on its starboard side, and the impact ruptured the hull, Edwards said. The accident did not block the inlet, but the boat was moored against a wall during the investigation and cleanup, authorities said.

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1999 Seaswirl Striper 2600 W/A & 250 HP Johnson O/B