by Alton WallaceWe want to offer a special Thank You to Officer Rick Miller and Sgt. Jody Kelly with the Alabama Marine Police, and to Officer Jason Whitlock and Cpl. Francis Fleming with the Orange Beach Marine Police for their help with this story.
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August 2, 2007 - Orange Beach, AL- A Panama City, Fla. man was charged with boating under the influence Wednesday night after the sportfishing boat he was operating in Perdido Pass apparently strayed from the marked channel, hit submerged rocks and sunk in about six feet of water, according to the Alabama Marine Police.
Marine Police Public Information Officer Rick Miller said James Cooper, captain of the Tar Baby, a 61-foot Weaver, was arrested following the accident. Rather than going around the rocks and entering the marked channel, Miller said, the Tar Baby apparently attempted to enter the Pass from the east between the the jetties and the beach. Also on board was a deckhand, whose name was not disclosed, he said. No injuries were reported.
Francis Fleming, a corporal with the Orange Beach Police Department's marine unit, said a loud collision was reported at about 9:45 p.m. by someone staying at Grand Pointe Condominiums. A Coast Guard response vessel was dispatched from Pensacola along with boats from Alabama Marine Police and the Alabama Department of Natural Resources.
Miller said Marine Police officers should complete an investigation of the accident by early next week. At this point, it's not clear if the captain or the deckhand was operating the boat at the time of the accident, he said. "No one who has been drinking should drive a boat because the water is very unforgiving. And if you are going to drink, you've got to have a operator who is licensed to operate the vessel," Miller said.
The Tar Baby, whose value Miller estimated at more than $2.5 million, was in route to the Orange Beach Billfish Classic, a fishing tournament that began Wednesday.
