The Wreck of JoJo

Karl and Betsy Livengood of Walnut Creek experienced every sailor’s nightmare when their beloved Catalina 36 JoJo ran up on a rock reef in Stillwater Cove on October 20. The couple report they’d been on their way south from Monterey, bound for a cruise of the Channel Islands with their friend Ray aboard Serendipity Too, when they pulled into Stillwater Cove. While attempting to anchor after an initial attempt was thwarted by kelp, JoJo‘s windlass jammed. The Livengoods say they cautiously approached an unidentified mooring in hopes of grabbing it for a few minutes while Karl cleared the windlass. As they neared it, they ran aground.

Karl reports that they were unsuccessful in backing off the reef, and though they were able to turn the boat into the waves, they could not get themselves free. "At that point, I called a mayday on the VHF," he said. "The Coast Guard responded, asking for our position several times after we’d already given them our GPS position and physical location. These repeated transmissions took up valuable time and distracted us from our primary mission of saving the boat and ourselves."

Karl, Ray and another friend from shore did what they could with dinghies to free JoJo but nothing worked. In the meantime, Betsy was still aboard, getting thrown around and sustaining minor injuries. "About an hour into this, the Coast Guard arrived and sat about 150 yards away in their 48-ft patrol boat, watching the drama for another hour, but not offering any assistance," said Karl. "They ordered Ray to launch his dinghy and rescue Betsy, which he did. The Coast Guard ordered me to row to their boat but, after two hours of paddling with one oar, I was too tired to comply. They finally moved toward me and I was taken aboard. Our boat continued to be swept toward shore by the now incoming tide, but was still intact with no water inside when Betsy abandoned her."

After pounding on the reef for hours, JoJo‘s keel broke off and the port side was stove in. Karl reports salvors worked through the night to pump out the diesel, while saving what valuables they could. She was later taken to Monterey Boat Works, courtesy of inflatable lift bags, where she was declared a total loss.

"I feel that the practice of good seamanship and the ‘Good Samaritan Rule’ were violated by the Coast Guard’s not helping me to secure JoJo," says Karl. "They arrived unprepared to help us, having no inflatable boat or wet suits so they could reach us near shore. If Betsy had broken her leg, what would they have done to help rescue her? Their statement that ‘We only save people, not boats,’ seems to ignore the environment and puts boaters at more risk, since some of us want to do what’s right for both the environment and our boats. Our image of the Coast Guard as the ultimate helper when serious problems arise has been shattered. Calling a marine tow service would probably produce better results."