The winter holidays saw a trio of weather-related rescues and disruptions in local travel.

The highest profile incident was of a Port Hadlock man and his dog, who required a Coast Guard rescue after their Christmas morning sailboat trip hit rough seas.

Sheriff’s deputies and search and rescue personnel also rescued a stranded motorist near the Upper Mount Townsend trailhead on Dec. 26.

And ferry service between Coupeville and Port Townsend saw delays, both due to typical tidal currents and logjams.   

Andy Pernsteiner, undersheriff with the Jefferson County Sheriff’s Office, told The Leader that 29-year-old Josh Fenstermacher’s sailboat got caught in that day’s high winds, “on the shore between the Paper Mill and the Boat Haven.”

Pernsteiner placed the call to the sheriff’s office at 6:51 a.m., after Fenstermacher asked for help when a passerby saw him struggling to navigate his boat in the strong winds.

Sheriff’s deputies were joined by the U.S. Coast Guard in responding to the distress call, as Fenstermacher and his dog became stranded after his sailboat ran aground near the Larry Scott Trail, and a Coast Guard rescue swimmer pulled both man and dog safely to shore.

Neither Fenstermacher nor his dog were injured, nor was the sailboat determined to have yielded any “significant threat” of environmental pollution, according to U.S. Coast Guard Lt. Ryan Sexton, who serves as public affairs officer for the Coast Guard’s Puget Sound section.

Sexton had no further information on the current disposition of the 25-to-30-foot sailing vessel, but he touted this incident as yet another reason for boaters to ensure they’re properly prepared.

“Whether it’s summer or winter, we always encourage checking the weather forecasts for wherever you’re going, making sure your vessel is equipped with the necessary safety gear, and dressing for the temperatures,” Sexton said. “Pacific Northwest waters are very cold compared to other coastal waters, especially during the winter, so not dressing warmly enough will significantly shorten your ability to survive in these waters.”

Looking to the Christmas morning rescue in particular, Sexton advised boaters to make sure their vessels include marine radios, “to reach out for needed assistance directly, because boating conditions can change in a matter of minutes.”

Other vessels that encountered interrupted voyages during the holidays were the Washington State Ferries traveling between Port Townsend and Coupeville, which experienced four canceled sailings due to logjams on Christmas Eve, and six on Saturday, Dec. 28.

WSF spokesperson Justin Fujioka noted the 11 a.m. ferry on Tuesday, Dec. 24, tried to land at Coupeville, but ultimately returned to Port Townsend. The 2:45 p.m. sailing out of Coupeville was delayed but able to depart after a rescue boat was launched and crew was able to  move logs out of the way.

On Dec. 28, the 2 p.m. and 3:30 p.m. sailings tried to land at Coupeville, but ultimately returned to Port Townsend, while the 5:15, 6, 6:45 and 7:30 p.m. sailings were also cancelled. That was due to tidal currents.

Fujioka said while logjams do not occur very often, canceled sailings due to strong tidal currents are more common, especially given the conditions of Keystone Harbor outside of Coupeville invite such currents.

Fujioka emphasized that any potential damage to the ferries’ propellers from logs can affect the structural integrity of the vessels. Decisions involving safety and whether or not to sail in rough weather or other conditions ultimately lies with the ferry captains.

The stranded motorist near the Upper Mount Townsend trailhead was assisted after sheriffs received reports that the car was stuck and the driver was not equipped for conditions or the weather.

According to the sheriff’s department, the call came in at 7:30 a.m. on Dec. 26 and responders were on scene by 10:30 a.m. Upon arrival, they discovered that the motorist was unable to extricate his Subaru Forester from the snow.