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Published by the Mobile Press Register
61-foot boat hits wall, sinks
Friday, August 03, 2007
By GUY BUSBYStaff Reporter
Alabama Marine Police have charged a Panama City, Fla., captain with boating under the influence after the fishing vessel he was operating -- valued at more than $2.5 million -- hit an obstruction and sank in Perdido Pass, officials said Thursday.
James Cooper was arrested when the 61-foot Tar Baby sank Wednesday night, said Officer Rick Miller of the Marine Police office in Orange Beach.
Miller said the boat wrecked when its operator, who was approaching the Pass, apparently tried to maneuver through a gap between the beach and the eastern jetty rather than going around the jetty and entering the marked channel.
The boat hit a low wall under the water surface.
Miller said a final report has not been filed on the incident and he did not know Cooper's blood alcohol level.
The Coast Guard station in Pensacola received a call at 9:42 p.m. Wednesday that the vessel was taking on water, said Petty Officer Vance Pedrick. The caller reported that two people were aboard.
A Coast Guard response vessel was dispatched from Pensacola along with boats from Alabama Marine Police and the Alabama Department of Natural Resources. The two people on board the Tar Baby were taken ashore by a Marine Police boat, Pedrick said.
No injuries were reported. Miller said salvage and insurance representatives were examining the boat Thursday to determine how to remove it. He said paying the cost of removal would be up to the owners and insurance company.
The boat was coming to Baldwin County to take part in the 10th annual Orange Beach Billfish Classic Tournament, scheduled for this weekend, said Beth Reed, tournament director. She said the make of the boat was a Weaver.
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