The New Deal and the North East Sailer
“And like a lobster boiled, the morn From black to red began to turn”
Samuel Butler quotes
It was to be a day of firsts and lessons learned and ended in bright sunshine, thank you very much.
It was cool and dark at 5:30AM when I left for the Blue Fathoms. Forecasts called for fair skies and calm seas and warm sunshine. The day was still early.
I arrived at the marina and unloaded and was soon joined by Jeff, Walter and Al and KD, a guest diver, and Renee, our mate for the trip. Our fearless leader, Jim, arriving fashionably late, oversaw the loading of equipment. And we were off.
It was decided that we would try the Pinta but upon arriving the sight was taken so we opted for the nearby New Deal, also known as the Cobblestone Wreck.
This probably got its name because it is the next-closest thing to the Pinta and if the Pinta is occupied you get a "New Deal" by going here. This is a large fairly intact unknown barge, sitting in 90 fsw and filled with cobblestones, assumed to be its cargo, possibly on the way to Philadelphia, when it sank.
I had brought a fresh juicy orange to test the theory that Big Jim and I discussed last week for an environmentally friendly replacement for the foam cup or bottle, etc. Our benevolent President agreed to do the honors and took the orange down with him to set the hook. We all stood at the rails anxiously awaiting the oranges arrival. Unfortunately, all that popped to the surface was a tennis ball. Apparently, at 90 feet........oranges sink. Jim threw it up in the water column several times encouraging it on its way but to no avail. (In my minds eye I saw him tossing up the orange saying “Swim little citrus, swim!”) I guess I should have brought that kiwi to try.
The pool was declared open and I went down the line with our guest diver KD, a dive master from LBI. We arrived on the wreck with thick green water and visibility at about 10 feet, and that is being generous. KD tied in her reel and we set out to the right to see what was about.
The remains of the wreck are giving way. The walls are covered in the assorted sponges, hydroids and anemones popular with our coast and in between the deteriorating planking you could see into the interior of the barge where an abundance of fish were hiding or swimming about. Just another foot or two of viz and this wreck could have been very interesting as it offered a great deal of relief.
We came back to the line and headed out left and then repeated our tour straight ahead. With a thumb up from KD, we headed up the line, leaving behind 46 F water temps at 88 fsw.
I was the last onboard, I am the last at everything apparently, and was still perched atop the ladder when I was met with the question as to whether to stay for a second dive or move on. I drew myself up to my full 5 foot little number height and announced.............“How the heck should I know?” Apparently I was the tie breaking vote and before anyone would help me with my fins I had to dispense some King Solomon wisdom here. Isn’t the President supposed to be the tie breaking vote? Why me? Several alternate sites were rattled off and in my infinite wisdom I said “They all sound good to me” and started taking my own fins off. And that is how Captain Tony chose the North East Sailer.
During the surface interval we discussed the effects of a dive flag 3 miles from shore (there isn’t any), the work the historical divers do and diving in other states and countries. And then we were ready for dive #2.
The Northeast Sailor is the remains of an unknown wooden sailing ship dating to probably the mid to late 19th century located in 75 feet of water. The Bow faces east, probably into the storm that sank her with low lying remains emanating from a sizeable chain-pile and anchor. Some machinery can also be found, including a boiler and steam winches. Although the wreckage is scattered, navigation is not difficult.
Coming down the line there was a current which served to clear the visibility tremendously. You could see the outline of the wreckage and KD and I headed out see what was about, no reel necessary this time. The low wooden walls were covered from their many years buried here and as we came to the boilers I swam in a circle around them looking in the many hidey holes available which were filled with fish. I was like a little multistory fishy hotel out here in the sand with juvenile and large sized blackfish and striped bass among the guests and I could poke them all day. http://njscuba.net/~images/sites-img/ne_sailor_cgi.jpg
I decided to look high going out and come back looking low for something in the way of a hard shell and 2-3lb range. But this was not to be. 10 minutes into our dive KD had an interesting OOA situation and we were on our way to the surface.
There was a popping noise and then the sound and sight of rushing bubbles. KD immediately grabbed my arm and I held out my regulator as we had discussed before jumping in our first dive of the day. You imagine what you would do in an underwater emergency, how you would react or feel, what it would be like. In my open water class we discussed free flows and practiced breathing off a flowing regulator, aiding your dive buddy. This was nothing like that. The rush of air from her tank had tremendous force and she was kicking for the surface while I was trying to give her my regulator. Neither of us could see each other through the massive cloud of bubbles so she did not know it was my regulator not my hand on her and I did not know she was already breathing off of her pony. In less than a minute we had surfaced and it was over and all I can recall other than my initial she needs my regulator and then we need to slow down here was how huge some of the bubbles from her tank were. Not a rush of forceful small racing bubbles from a tiny port but some really big ones too.
Luckily we surfaced not far from the boat and everyone on board was at the rail and we were quickly at the side of the boat and they were holding KD up with a line and shutting down her tanks and pulling her towards the ladder. Me....the current was bringing me to the bow of the boat and I was struggling to keep coming back. Captain Tony reached down and grabbed my hand holding me in place until KD was safely on board and I could come around.
Speaking of which.......... While they were helping her on the ladder Walter brought the tagline around for me but instead of pulling me around he started letting out the line reminding me of his threatened sharpie marker moustache from our last dive together..............all in good fun and I was soon on board also. Everyone safe and sound. And I wasn’t even last this time, Al was still in the water.
As I was removing my fins Al appeared on the ladder carrying a regulator and hose he had found while swimming along the bottom. KD’s reg hose had burst off of the connection to her first stage (the popping sound which she said had sounded like a gunshot to her) leaving just the stem and connector in the port and when she couldn’t draw a breath from it she dropped that regulator and picked up her pony reg to breathe and since her primary was no longer attached it just fell to the sand.
We quickly caught Al up on events. Apparently everyone on the surface knew there was a problem because of the massiveness of the bubbles breaking the surface. They said the bubble we surfaced under was like a dome coming out of the water. The stem and connector from the reg hose were still sticking out of the port in the first stage. Wow.
We headed on in under clear blue skies and warm sunshine. We were carrying a few nice sized blackfish and 2 lobsters with 3 claws among them, what a fight that must have been. And......we had all 6 divers and the crew. Its good, very good, that everyone was safe.
I need an alternative to the orange for next dive(I still dont think we could see a kiwi), I have had my first dive emergency (I am taking rescue), and I have two more wrecks to add to my list of sights to repeat this summer. (I thought the little I saw of the NE Sailer was great) Now I need a nap. Who do I sound like?