Every morning, members of Coast Guard Station Menemsha head down to the West Dock, past the old fishing shacks on Basin Road, to begin their day’s work. The station’s 23 members hail from all over the country.
Coast Guard members from around the region gathered in Menemsha Thursday morning to inaugurate the Island’s first volunteer flotilla in 35 years. Timothy Carroll is the commander of the 18-member volunteer flotilla 11-9.
A U.S. Coast Guard investigation into the sinking of a the fishing boat Robert C. Monday afternoon off Dogfish Bar at the western end of the Vineyard, remains open and active, according to a Coast Guard spokesman The owner of the sunken vessel reportedly has decided not to salvage the 33-foot wooden boat, which went down in 40 to 50 feet of water after colliding with another fishing boat.
Seaman apprentice Coco, a three-month-old chocolate Labrador mix, is the newest member of the Menemsha Coast Guard station. With a new puppy in residence, it's all hands on deck for training.
The new Coast Guard boathouse in Menemsha harbor is on track to be finished early next year. The three-story concrete structure is fire-resistant and can withstand earthquakes and 100-year storms.
The men and women of Coast Guard Station Menemsha agreed that June Manning's exemplary spirit of giving and "just because she's June" merited some small town, down home recognition.
A wide-ranging air and sea search for the owner of a 13-foot Hobie Cat was called off late Saturday after the boat owner called the Coast Guard to identify himself. The unmarked sailboat was found washed ashore with its sails up near Lake Tashmoo on Friday.
Four years ago this week, Menemsha harbor was a chaotic scene. Dark smoke from the west dock billowed out to sea and burning embers floated on the water. The wooden Coast Guard boathouse built in 1938 was completely consumed before the first fire truck arrived. A wooden pier and a wooden road leading to the boathouse, along with a truck and at least one boat, were also destroyed.
