Details of a sailboat that ran aground down near Tacoma, WA.

It's super cold (by Pac NW standards) right now, so I thought the name
of the stranded vessel was
seasonally humorous.

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TACOMA, Wash. - Members of a Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla assisted
five people that became stranded after their boat ran aground near
Tacoma, Wash. Saturday.
At 11:35 a.m., the operator of the 40-foot vessel Blue Moon contacted
the Tacoma 911 center to request help after his sailboat grounded on a
shoal in Commencement Bay.

Minutes later, The Tacoma Fire Boat Defiance and a Coast Guard
Auxiliary vessel from Flotilla 35 arrived to help the crew of the
sailboat.

About noon, the Coast Guard Auxiliary crew maneuvered close enough to
pass a tow line to the badly listing vessel, which was then towed to
safety by the Defiance.

The United States Coast Guard Auxiliary is composed of uniformed,
non-military volunteer civilians who assist the Coast Guard in all of
its varied missions, except for military and direct law enforcement.
These men and women can be found on the nation's waterways, in the air,
in classrooms and on the dock, performing Maritime Domain Awareness
patrols, safety patrols, vessel safety checks and public education.

Coast Guard Auxiliary Flotilla 35, based in Tacoma, is currently
looking for new members. For more information, contact Lee Warnaca at
(253) 536 4494 or (253) 961-5913.

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