"Try NOT to get air." Garrett Hamilton's advice on boating in heavy surf comes from years of experience.
Inside an old boathouse across the bay from the HikShari' trail are two of the toughest boats ever built, and Bosun's Mate Hamilton is comfortable at the controls. The Coast Guard calls it their '47-foot Motor Lifeboat', which you may have seen charging headlong into 20-foot waves in the mouth of Humboldt Bay. It’s a fast-response rescue boat engineered to withstand extreme conditions, and the drivers of these boats can spend up to eight years training for their “Surfman” certification. "The training process is extensive, usually 3 to 8 years, with hundreds of hours spent driving the boat," says. It’s fair to say that if Top Gun pilots had a marine equivalent, you’d find them here.
But the boats take a beating, and Mechanical Technician First Class Mara Carter keeps them running - even under the worst conditions. "I'm the one that gets to fix the boat. I'm the one that gets to be down below in the engine room," she says. "I get to turn a wrench. I get to go out there in the nasty waters where nobody wants to go. I get to go out there and help people"
In this two-part episode, Keith Flamer of College of the Redwoods and Tom Jackson with Cal Poly Humboldt tour the boathouse and hear from Hamilton and Carter about what life is like at Coast Guard Station Humboldt Bay.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ijAX7DgSgbk
PART ONE:
Garrett Hamilton:
So this is the survivors compartment. This is where we would bring somebody we rescued. Get them warm, get them some water, give them first aid if we need to.
Announcer:
Inside an old boathouse across from the Hikshari’ Trail are two of the most unflappable, if not unflippable boats ever built.
Mara Carter:
That's the nice thing about these designs, with them having their watertight compartments and their buoyancy chambers. They are designed to self-right. So if that does occur, they should pop right back up.
Announcer:
The Coast Guard calls it their 47ft motor lifeboat, which you may have seen in the mouth of Humboldt Bay, charging headlong into 20ft waves. It's a fast response rescue boat engineered to withstand extreme conditions, and the drivers of these boats can spend up to eight years training for their surf man certification. These are some of the best boat drivers on the planet.
In part one of this two-part series exploring life at Coast Guard Station Humboldt Bay, Keith Flamer with College of the Redwoods and Cal Poly Humboldt, and Tom Jackson, who has served in the Coast Guard, get an audio tour of the boat led by machinery technician Mara Carter and Boatswain's Mate Garrett Hamilton. [As a programming note, the audio will not be studio quality and will include all the dockside sounds you might expect from a boathouse on Humboldt Bay.]
Garrett Hamilton:
We'll go down to the boats.
Tom Jackson:
How many MKs are there?
Mara Carter:
So in total, we have one, two, three, four, five, six, which is amazing. I need as many bodies as possible to keep all these boats up and running. Because they run hard. They work hard.
Tom Jackson:
Do people reside in the old house?
Garrett Hamilton:
So the station itself is manned 24/7. You will always have a boat crew here at a minimum. Upstairs is where the crew sleeps. Throughout the day, we do 48 hours on, 48 hours off. So, this is amazing.
Tom Jackson:
So we're inside the boathouse, and we see two big boats. Describe them to us.
Garrett Hamilton:
So these are the 47ft motor lifeboats. They are made to go into surf up to 30ft waves, 20ft breaking waves, and 50 knots of wind. They're kind of the workhorse of the Coast Guard because they have a pretty strong towing capacity. That's one of the biggest jobs of a small boat station, towing and helping disabled vessels, so they can tow up to about 200 tons with this boat, you're not going very fast, but it can do it. It takes a crew of four to operate the whole thing. It is not meant for overnight stays. It doesn't have places to sleep, no galley, anything like that. So you're kind of exposed. The top portion here is where you drive 99% of the time. All four of your crew are up there.
It's a pretty awesome boat.
Mara Carter:
Normally, I would open up the engine bay door so you could see it. But these are very tight compartments when it comes to the engineering space. You would have to go into the survivors compartment and then down into the engine room.
Tom Jackson:
I'll tell you both, one of my favorite places when we were off in the lake or Puget Sound was when I'd have to go down below and just check numbers. The numbers are fine, but it was just humming. I just sat on the stairs right there. It was my favorite place, other than standing on the back just watching.
Mara Carter:
Everybody loved it. Something about the heat, the rumble, the smell—it all drew me in.
Garrett Hamilton:
You have the right job in front of you. I loved it.
Tom Jackson:
When we go, we're following you. It's a nice boathouse. Even though it's old, it’s great.
Garrett Hamilton:
It helps big time with a lot of the work that we have to do.
Mara Carter:
It's still nice. I definitely have less fear for my crew members when it comes to doing maintenance because they're not exposed to the elements. Whereas on our outside pier, they are exposed to the elements. So when we try to do maintenance, we focus on our inside assets as much as possible.
Keith Flamer:
It's wonderful. It's nice.
Garrett Hamilton:
We can go out. This is... yes. So where are we now? This is the deck. This is where a lot of the business happens. This is where the crew sets up for towing. This is where you would bring somebody if they were pulled out of the water. This is where you're working.
This is pretty much the only deck space you have that's safe to work around. And if you guys want to go up, this is where we drive 99.9% of the time. And then you have two more steering stations down below. If you want to go down there during an underway trip, you're probably going to get seasick.
Keith Flamer:
It’s hard. But one person can drive this boat?
It doesn’t take two. It just takes one. You can control every aspect of the boat from each steering station. From right here, standing up, you’re 14ft above the water. So if you're staring at the top of a wave right there, that’s a 14ft wave coming in.
Garrett Hamilton:
Most of the time, there’ll be someone standing here looking forward for us, and someone looking back to make sure everything's safe behind us. Everyone’s going to have a point.
Tom Jackson:
Describe a two-point harness.
Garrett Hamilton:
For folks listening, they wear a harness around their waist, just a waist belt. It has two straps with two hooks on it. We have all these around the boat that you can pretty much hook onto. That will keep you attached to the boat.
Tom Jackson:
And Carter’s putting one on now. [metallic clicking sounds]
Mara Carter:
And then we would clip the second one on.
When you're moving down the boat, one more thing, you would move forward and lock into another one separate.
Garrett Hamilton:
It depends on the evolution. Sometimes, time is of the essence.
Mara Carter:
For example, if we had a man overboard.
Garrett Hamilton:
We just tell you to go straight there, slip in, because I don’t care.
Mara Carter:
Because then I can say I’m thinking all the way down in. So truly, I am still learning everything.
Tom Jackson:
No one else would know if you’ve got three bars on you. So that means you’re smarter than—
Mara Carter:
The big deal is that we have twin engines down here, and they are shaft-driven. So essentially, your engine goes forward to the reduction gear. The marine reduction gear is pretty much under your feet on either side. From the reduction gear, it goes out back, and that’s where the props are. We also have steering posts back here in our lazerette space.
Keith Flamer:
What’s that space?
Mara Carter:
This is called your lazarette. That’s only for this part of the stern. That’s typically where your steering component is going to be.
Keith Flamer:
Why is it called that?
Mara Carter:
It’s a nautical term from well before our time. It goes back to sailing days.
Garrett Hamilton:
Many nautical terms that we’ve had back in the day still hold on, either due to tradition or because it just blends seamlessly into what we need it to do.
So the next space up is where we have a little bit more storage equipment. There is a porta-potty assembly up there, but you use it, you clean it. So the space we’re in right here is what we call the Survivor’s Compartment. This is where we would bring somebody we rescued, get them warm, get them some water, give them first aid if we need to. We keep a lot of our rescue equipment in here—first aid, stokes litter, summer gear, stuff like that.
Announcer:
Bosun’s Mate Garrett Hamilton and machinery technician Mara Carter at U.S. Coast Guard Station Humboldt Bay. Next time on Talk Humboldt, part two of this interview explores what life is like for Humboldt Bay coasties.
Mara Carter:
I get to turn a wrench. I get to go out there in the nasty waters where nobody wants to go. I get to go out there and help people.
Announcer:
That’s next time on Humboldt with Keith and Tom, right here on KHSU.
PART 2:
Anncr:Previously on talk. Humboldt…
Garrett Hamilton:So these are the 47ft motor lifeboats. They are made to go into surf up to 30ft waves, 20ft breaking waves, and 50 knots of wind.
Anncr:It's fair to say that if Top Gun pilots had a seafaring equivalent, you'd find them at the helm of one of the Coast Guard's 47ft motor lifeboats. Today on talk Humboldt, Keith and Tom continue their conversation with the U.S. Coast Guard's Mara Carter and Garrett Hamilton to talk training, missions, and more in Samoa. Here's Keith and Tom.
Tom Jackson:Hi, I'm Tom Jackson with Cal Poly Humboldt. I'm here today with Doctor Keith Flamer. How are you, Keith?
Keith Flamer:I am wonderful. I'm so happy to be here with you today, Tom.
Tom Jackson:Well, we're here today with Petty Officer Carter and Petty Officer Hamilton. Why did you join the Coast Guard?
Mara Carter:I was working at a restaurant for a couple of years, and I just got sick and tired of working the same…. It felt like a dead-end job. I needed some excitement in my life. I went to talk to a recruiter. I fell in love with it, signed the papers that day, and it has been phenomenal since then.
Garrett Hamilton:I was a 15-year-old kid, and I saw the station there in Monterey. They had the 47ft motor lifeboats there. I signed my paperwork halfway through my senior year of high school. Here I am 17 years later.
Tom Jackson:One of you is a machinery technician and one is a bosun's mate. What's the difference?
Mara Carter:So the main breakdown is, one of us drives the boat, and one of us fixes the boat. I'm the machinery technician. I'm the one that gets to fix the boat. I'm the one that gets to be down below in the engine room. And when the coxswain is driving the boat, I have to make sure we are okay and safe down below.
Garrett Hamilton:That's the political answer. I'm the one who drives them and breaks them, and she's the one who fixes all the things. [Laughter]
Tom Jackson:That's good to know. Good to know for sure. What is it the Coast Guard does in Humboldt County?
Garrett Hamilton:So here, it's very unique just because of the location. We're so far from San Francisco and big cities. Our main mission here is search and rescue, with a little bit of law enforcement sprinkled in. The biggest things we deal with are broken-down boaters, people swept off the beaches, and people swept off the jetties. Occasionally, we'll have law enforcement tasks like safety boardings or helping Fish and Game with their duties.
Keith Flamer:So is there Coast Guard housing in Eureka?
Garrett Hamilton:There is. I believe there are 70 units off of Park Street.
Keith Flamer:Sometimes I see the Coast Guard helicopters flying by. How do you coordinate your rescues and actions? And who does that type of work?
Mara Carter:I think that's one of the best parts. We have the Sector stationed up in McKinleyville. That's where our helicopters come from. Almost every other day, we conduct helicopter operations training. The helicopter flies down here, conducts hoist maneuvers, lowers a basket, or their rescue swimmer. The helicopter can drop [plop] their swimmer into the water to perform rescues.
Keith Flamer:Garrett, you've been in the Coast Guard for 17 years? Yes. And Mara, you've been in the Coast Guard for how long?
Mara Carter:I've been in for ten years.
Keith Flamer:I'm wondering if there are certain rescues that stick in your mind. Can you talk about that?
Mara Carter:Oh, now you're asking for sea stories. That can get long-winded! [Laughter]. There have been many boaters either stranded, running out of gas, taking on water, vessels on fire, or vessels running aground.
Garrett Hamilton:I can't think of any one rescue that stands out, but when we show up on scene, whether it's a broken-down boat or someone swept off the beach, the look of relief on their face is the biggest takeaway. Another is the image we create for kids. When you see a five, six, or seven-year-old waving excitedly, it gives me hope that they might grow up to do the same thing.
Keith Flamer:If you were talking to eighth graders, seventh graders, or high schoolers about your job, what would you tell them?
Mara Carter:I love seeing the spark in kids' eyes when they see our boats. They're big and exciting, and hearing the engines roar is thrilling. I tell them, ‘I get to turn a wrench and go out into nasty waters where no one else wants to be and help people. That's what I love to do.’
Garrett Hamilton:At that point, we're just glorified lifeguards.
All:[Laughter]
Garrett Hamilton:Lifeguards with better technology. We're trying to stay dry, but at the end of the day, we're water cops and lifeguards.
Tom Jackson:The Coast Guard is known for its extensive training. Garrett, you're a celebrity in that regard. Talk a little about your training.
Keith Flamer:You are famous. I saw the video!
Garrett Hamilton:The Coast Guard prioritizes training, especially considering our job to save lives. You want the most trained individuals doing those missions. We have Surfmen here who can operate the 47 footer in 30ft waves, 20ft breaking surf, and 50 knots of wind. You've probably seen them on YouTube, crashing through waves.
Keith Flamer:So a boat driver is called a Surfman?
Garrett Hamilton:A coxswain. You work your way up to Heavy-Weather Coxswain, then Surfman. The training process is extensive, usually 3 to 8 years, with hundreds of hours spent driving the boat. The weather here helps expedite training, but you still need that experience. Going into those conditions, it's like being hit by a car. Water is heavy, and when it hits you, it can do some damage.
Keith Flamer:We're sitting in your conference room, and there are pictures of boats navigating massive waves. How do you manage that?
Garrett Hamilton:You try not to get air, it hurts! I was a lot taller when I started this job. The concept is not to go through the waves. The boat is capable; It does 25 knots, about 30mph so it can really get up and boogie. You have to watch the waves behind the one in front of you to avoid getting caught. Sometimes you can't avoid it, and that's where training comes in. You give it as much power as possible to keep the boat upright.
Tom Jackson:Bosun’s Mate First Class Hamilton, Machinery Technician First Class Carter, thank you both. It's refreshing to hear about the training and work you go through to help the community.
Keith Flamer:Appreciate it.
Garrett Hamilton:Thank you.
Anncr:From Samoa, that's Mara Carter and Garrett Hamilton with the U.S. Coast Guard on Talk Humboldt with Keith and Tom.
