posted 07-21-2008 01:34 PM ET (US)        

Back at the ramp, we pulled the boats to get an early start configuring the
trucks for sleeping. While that was going on, some guy came up to me and asked
where the police station was. I asked if he meant the Coast Guard, and he
nodded, so I told him, and he headed up the hill. About a half hour later, he
was back pacing the lot and looking agitated, until a car came up and a woman
got out looking about the same. I asked if there was a problem, and he said his
friends had gone out on a new Whaler at about 6am, and should have been back by
noon, but were still out (it was about 6pm by then.) They had talked to the CG,
so there wasn't a whole lot to be done. About a half hour later They spotted a
boat a ways out, and the guy was asking if I thought it could be them. I got my
binoculars from the boat, and the hull shape looked like a Whaler, and I counted
two people on board. I handed off the binoc's, but neither of the two could get
a good enough look to say yes or no. I decided to put my boat back in and run
them out there, so Larry put me in and we started out. Guy asked if we needed
help, and I figured if there was a problem, I might, so joined us, as well. We
got to the boat and I saw they were drifting for halibut. The woman said, yes,
it was her boyfriend, so I pulled alongside. The ensuing exchange was all in
Spanish, which is probably moot, as I probably couldn't relate it here anyway. I
radio'd the CG to tell them they had been found and were fine; while doing so,
the two guys pulled in lines and took off for the ramp. I finished up conversing
with the CG, and headed back in (at a more sedate speed than the Whaler.) I
don't really know the results, but Carol apparently asked the two guys if they
were in trouble, and the guy who was not the woman's boyfriend grinned and
replied "Not me."