A Columbia River Bar Pilots captain fell from a freighter after the vessel left the mouth of the river.
Captain Deborah Dempsey was leaving the vessel Navios Ionian about 1 a.m. to rejoin her crew on the pilot boat Chinook.Dempsey had activated her smoke signal and a strobe light. Coast Guard Sector Columbia River received a third call from the Chinook at 2:02 a.m., stating the crew had successfully recovered the bar pilot. Air Station Astoria had prepared an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter to aid in the rescue, although Dempsey was recovered before it ever had to take off.
The transfer did not go well, said Gary Lewin, administrative pilot for the association. Dempsey slid into the water after a deckhand was unable to grab her.
She was quickly rescued, Lewin said. Pilot crews train regularly for such mishaps. The Coast Guard was on standby during the incident.
Dempsey was at home, resting comfortably later Monday morning, he said.
