PORT TOWNSEND — A call last week reporting a capsized sailboat turned out to be a false alarm because the caller mistook a buoy for a boater in distress.
It’s not the first time, said East Jefferson Fire-Rescue Deputy Chief Ted Krysinski, who estimated that the department had received several such reports before Thursday’s 4 p.m. call.
The resident of the Chetzemoka Park area said that a yellow boat was bouncing aimlessly among the waves in the middle of Admiralty Bay between Port Townsend and Fort Worden State Park.
The fire district dispatched a fire engine, ambulance and a control car on land and a rescue boat to the area before confirming that what had been perceived as a boat was in fact an experimental buoy placed in the water by Intellicheck Mobilisa of Port Townsend.
All such calls must be investigated, Krysinski said, and he does not want to discourage citizens who witness what they believe to be a boater in distress from making a report.
But he asked that callers making a report stay on the line with emergency personnel and provide specifics about the location of the distressed boater in order to make a precise determination as to whether the sighting can be explained.
“The caller on Thursday just hung up after making the report,” Krysinski said.
“We would like people to describe exactly what they are seeing so we can triangulate their position with what we know is out there so we know whether we need to send a rescue boat.”
The buoy, which has been in its current location since late 2009, is painted bright yellow and is about eight feet in diameter, Mobilisa CEO Nelson Ludlow said.
It is used to test different conditions and has served several functions since its deployment, including water temperature, tides and dirty bomb detection, with the real-time data sent wirelessly to a nearby vessel.
The data are then transferred to Mobilisa for analysis.
The Admiralty Inlet buoy is one of about 10 in the Puget Sound area, Ludlow said.
Ludlow said he had received no communication about any false alarms from law enforcement, and that he was in regular communication with local officials and the Coast Guard about any changes to the buoy.
Ludlow said the company would do whatever law enforcement suggests to alleviate the situation.
“We want to be good citizens and will do what it takes.” he said.
Krysinski hopes to address the situation through public information.
“We want people to become familiar with what is out there so they know what they are seeing and can be more descriptive when they call in,” he said.
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Jefferson County Reporter Charlie Bermant can be reached at 360-385-2335 or charlie.bermant@peninsuladailynews.com.
