I was stationed on the Oregon Coast. We had two modern self righting lifeboats and a older, 36' double ender commissioned before the oldest man in our unit was born. It was all wood, double ended and slow. I was given command and the job of putting it right for the upcoming summer season. One day I noticed a strange hole in the deck, and consulting an old maintenance manual discovered this thing was a step for a mast! We found the mast in the bo'suns locker, forgotten in the rafters. A quick check found it still sound. We actually got the local chandlery to donate some old sail canvas nobody wanted. We looked like a Monty Python skit trying to actually sail the boat with instruction manuals in one hand and running lines in the other. Then one day it happened. We had a distress call from a disabled pleasureboat drifting into the bar. A bar is a phenomenon where multiple currents collide at bays or river mouths. It creates a wave action that forms a solid wall of crashing water and can reach 20'+ in bad weather. So off we went in old 36535 ( our two modern 44's allready out on other missions.) Just as we approached the bar we felt a shuddering explosion and smoke poured from the engine. We had cracked the head and threw a rod. Without hesitation ( or choice) we stepped the mast and within minutes were running up this 12' wave under sail. A helicopter unit had been dispatched from Astoria and by now the shoreline was full of onlookers. We almost rammed the disabled boat coming alongside, tied off and crawled to a safe anchorage. Then I heard it. My base C/O and the pilot ( who was an officer I served previously with in Alaska) asking each other who's crazy idea it was to do this stunt. I answered, "sirs, It is I , petty officer Kavanaugh. We are ship shape and Bristol fashion here sirs. Do YOU require further assistance?" Nothing but radio static for a few seconds. "Kav? is that you? Yes, Commander Brundage. It's me. Oh, O.K. Er, carry on." That week my boat was decommissioned and placed in a maritime museum :?: .
