Karen Bell, owner of A.P. Bell Fish Co., 4600 124th St. Court W., Cortez, stands aboard the She’s A Belle — part of the A.P. Bell fishing fleet. The vessel as of Aug. 19 was undergoing repairs after the boat and its crew endured harsh conditions in the Gulf of Mexico during Tropical Storm Debby.
Islander Photo: Robert Anderson
U.S. Coast Guard Rescue Fishers During Tropical Storm Debby
August 2024 saw the crew of She’s A Belle (part of the A.P. Bell Fish Co. fleet) endure tropical storm Debby at sea.
Engine and fuel issues on August 2nd, followed by mechanical issues on August 4th saw a rescue operation launched by the U.S. Coast Guard.
Karen Bell, owner of A.P. Bell Fish Co., shared news of the rescue as the vessel was equipped with our McMurdo EPIRB
“A crewman set the EPIRB off when they were caught in a storm. USCG responded but the crewman would not jump in the water so they all stayed on board. A USCG cutter stayed with the boat and then handed her over to St Pete USCG 45′ boat which then met another of my boats to tow her home.”
The She’s A Belle out of Cortez endures rough conditions Aug. 5 in the Gulf of Mexico. The vessel and its four-person crew were rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard after losing power.
Islander Photo: Courtesy USCG Southeast.
Karen shared the incident report filed with USCG, whereby a crewman details his experience…
“Captain made last set, generator and main engine was shutting down due to lack of fuel. Captain continuously worked on the problem. We set course for home, main engine and generator kept shutting down. Lisa M Belle (vessel) came to give assistance, weather deteriorated to worse conditions. Lisa M Belle took us under tow. Captain solved the fuel problem while under tow. So we disconnected from the Lisa M Belle.
As we were steaming home, weather got very bad. 60kmh winds steady 15 to 20ft seas, Captain laid to and drifted. We got broadsided by a big wave, swamped the deck, flooded the wheelhouse, high water alarm went off. One crewman panicked. He put on life jacket and set off the EPIRB. Captain called Coastguard for crew extraction. He did not want to leave the vessel.
Helicopter arrived, some decided to stay over. Helicopter left. We took a beating, but the vessel was sound. More waves hit us hard and knocked a bracket with anchor line in it over. It washed out the scupper. When Captain put vessel in gear the line got in the wheel, disabling the vessel. We drifted through the storm being blown towards land. We were approximately 20 miles from St Pete inlet.
Coastguard Cullen Diligence showed up. Tried to tow us but could not. We drifted to about 9 miles from Tampa Inlet and threw over spare anchor and stayed the night. By morning of 07/06/2024 a small coastguard boat showed up and towed us into Tampa Inlet, where we transferred to the Rachel Belle and got towed to AP Bell Seafoods.”
A more detailed version of the event can be read on The islander Online, here – Cortez fishers endure TS Debby hazards at sea – Anna Maria Islander