Downdraft: A deadly katabatic wind befalls a 49-foot dragger off British Columbia

摘要

The forecast called for 50-knot storm-force winds as the 49-foot wooden shrimp dragger Larissa approached Grenville Channel, 40 nautical miles south of Prince Rupert, British Columbia. On board were skipper Ray Kevis and his deckhand, Lome Demeria. Kevis, 29, married with a 2 1/2-year-old daughter, and Demeria, 22, of Qualicum Beach, a small community on Vancouver Island, had been at sea for three days fishing for side-stripes, a species of shrimp sought after in the Japanese specialty market. Kevishad made this trip north through Grenville Channel many times, but at about 2:45 p.m., when he looked out the starboard window, he was riveted by what he saw. A white mist was shifting and swirling over the surface of the water.