His four-year Vineyard run has been marked by a historic fire, an award-winning crew and a record number of law enforcement boardings. Now it is time for a change of command for senior chief Jason Olsen at the U.S. Coast Guard Station Menemsha.
Two Vineyarders were presented with their auxiliary boat crew certifications at a ceremony in Menemsha. The events marks another step toward Martha’s Vineyard having its own auxiliary flotilla.
With crisp fall air sweeping over Menemsha harbor, the U.S. Coast Guard Station Menemsha was presented Monday morning with the prestigious Sumner I. Kimball Readiness Award, one of the highest awards in the service.
“Display that with pride,” sector Southeastern New England Cmdr. John Kondratowicz said after the pennant was raised on the station’s flagpole. “It’s not just an effort of one individual; it’s a team effort overall.
Two lobstermen were rescued off Wasque early Thursday morning after their boat began taking on water.
The 44-foot lobster boat Bill B II grounded around 5 a.m. near Muskeget channel due to an unknown cause, according to Coast Guard reports. No injuries were reported.
The summer crowds and seasonal yachts have left Menemsha and were replaced this week by a 55-by-185-foot barge and crane for construction of the new U.S. Coast Guard boathouse.
The large barge arrived Tuesday night in Menemsha harbor, tugged in by the Jaguar of New Bedford and the Patrick J. Hunt of Narragansett, R.I.
“It’s finally here, which is a great thing,” said Lou Vinciguerra, project manager for the Coast Guard boathouse.
The 911 call came at about 6:45 p.m. that a person was in the water off Great Rock Bight and in distress. Chilmark and Aquinnah police, Coast Guard station Menemsha and Massachusetts Environmental Police all responded. Two people were pulled from the water and transported to Menemsha to waiting EMS.
Its sweeping beam has guided mariners to safety and cast long flickers of shadow and light across the westernmost edge of the Vineyard for many decades.
But now the Gay Head Light is slated for a lantern change, and in the process the beam will change from sweeping to pulsing.
Lieut. Matthew Stuck of the U.S. Coast Guard aids to navigation branch said recently that the Coast Guard plans to replace the optic rotating light with a flashing LED light sometime in the next few months. The current optic, installed in 1989, is outdated and replacement parts are scarce, Mr. Stuck said.
It takes five minutes for the crew at U.S. Coast Guard Station Menemsha to walk from main headquarters to the search and rescue vessel. Five minutes may seem like a short time, but add drysuits, anti-exposure and flotation coveralls, boating tools, supplies, artillery and sometimes protective vests, and a five-minute walk can feel like a lifetime.
Absent a boathouse where all their gear and supplies would normally be kept, Coast Guard crew members make this laden walk several times a day.
Beneath a billowing American flag and light breeze off the harbor, Buddy sat in salute at the U.S. Coast Guard Station Menemsha early Monday morning, chest proudly puffed, ready for his next treat.
The three-year-old golden retriever was sworn in as a seaman recruit by Senior Chief Jason Olsen at a special enlistment ceremony. With the duty crew standing behind him, Buddy became a rank and file member of the Menemsha team.
