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Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Written by Megan Wyatt
The Gulf spill is affecting weekend mariners, too.**
Thunderstorms and a massive oil spill couldn't stop Windy Maitreme of Broussard from going on the chartered fishing trip she and her family had been planning for months on a recent weekend. After an early start to a stormy Sunday morning, charter Capt. Lee McClain guided Windy, her parents, brother and sister-in-law...
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Wednesday, May 26, 2010
Written by Megan Wyatt
The Gulf spill is affecting weekend mariners, too.**
Thunderstorms and a massive oil spill couldn't stop Windy Maitreme of Broussard from going on the chartered fishing trip she and her family had been planning for months on a recent weekend. After an early start to a stormy Sunday morning, charter Capt. Lee McClain guided Windy, her parents, brother and sister-in-law safely through several squalls.
"Going through those storms was so exciting," Windy says. "There is lightning striking everywhere with nothing to block your view like there is on land."
Twelve miles from the coast of Venice, however, the crisp blue waves had deepened to match the distressing grays of the sky. "To be riding in the boat looking out at the beautiful water, then to unexpectedly run across the oil like we did is just devastating," says Windy.
Just the day before the water had been clear in the area, according to McClain. Between the struggle of 7-foot smashing waves and oil-strewn sprays of water, the captain spotted a lone bird saturated in oil. "He looked very weak," Windy recalls, "like he was looking for something to get on since he couldn't fly to get away from the oil."
The group slowly made its way toward the bird, and with the aid of a dip net eased the bird into the boat. The large, frightened bird snapped and succeeded in biting the captain, but the group worked together to secure the bird into the boat's dry box to keep it safe for the remainder of the trip. Upon returning to the Venice marina, Windy made calls to the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries and the Audubon Society, both of which she had previously contacted to receive information about volunteering after the oil spill. National media swarmed the boat as Windy and her family struggled to wrap the bird in a towel and bring it on land. With the bird wrapped in her arms, she spoke to Fox News, CNN, CBS and NBC about the wildlife rescue.
Soon after, the Department of Wildlife and Fisheries arrived, secured the bird and took it 16 miles north to a wildlife rescue specifically for birds. The following day the wildlife rescuers informed Windy that her bird, a northern gannett, would make a full recovery and be released into its natural habitat.
Windy describes the entire trip as exciting, heart wrenching and rewarding.
"I really feel sorry for all the fishermen who stay out on the water," Windy says. "They live their life out in the Gulf every day and have a love for the sea that other people don't feel. If the sight of the oil covering the water is devastating for me, I can't even imagine how it is for the fishermen."