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From: Capt. R. Metz
Location: Fl.
email: dgmetz@aol.com
Remote Name: 64.12.116.201
Date: 03.29.06
Time: 09:02:56 AM
My new plan was to have the deckhand stand on the bow wearing his life jacket and I would creep toward shore hoping he would hear the for horn. A long time later he yelled and pointed to where the sound of the foghorn was coming from. I felt anxious to get inside the break wall and tie up. I took a bearing of his stretched out arm pointing and steered that course, then he pointed in another direction, then another, and another. I thought we must be going around in circles. As we drew closer I could finally make out a dim white light, there is was the break wall. As we passed by the foghorn it got very loud but that sound was music to my ears. Once we got inside the temperature got warmer and the fog was starting to lift; shortly after I could make out our dock. We took in the slack of the tow lines and tied the tug and barges up to the dock. I don’t even remember falling asleep. We tied up to a refuge for ships called Lily Pond. After a few hours of sleep I felt quite refreshed but was hungry. I thought a pastie sounded good, you can eat them hot or cold and on a plate or hold them in your hand like eating a sandwich. I radioed the NPS HQ and gave them our time of arrival and we were all set to load the fuel. The tankers will be out in a few hours to load you; also a man will pick up the empty propane tanks and load up the full ones. We opened up all the fuel tank covers and air vents. My deck hand checked over the Buda. All was OK for the return trip, he reported to me. I looked out toward the light and the fog was still hanging in there. I hope it dissipates by evening I thought. The tankers finally arrived and while one tanker was unloading the empty tanker went back to Houghton for another load. I think we took four loads to fill up the two thirsty barges. That afternoon we had some more pasties to eat when I noticed we were just about out of them. Well we still have the canned food to open up if we had to, oh yes even the K-rations if we really got desperate. Early that evening we finished loading all the fuel and propane tanks. Air vents were closed; as were all the covers for the fuel tanks. I looked at the free board was a few inches above the water. I thought the barges will be under water once I started towing them. I asked the fuel truck driver if this was the way it always was after loading, he answered ‘Yes, every trip.’ I didn’t care for this idea at all but I was still new at this job so we will do it just like they did it before