A horrible chain of events.

Our thoughts are with you Pepe, Linda, Jo, Barb, and everyone at the shop.

Bruce

52-foot Motor Life Boat (MLB)

Crew: 5
Original Cost:$236,000(1962)
Length: 52 feet
Beam: 14 feet 6.5 inches
Draft: 6 feet Displacement: 32 tons
Engine: 2 170 hp GM 6 71
Speed: 11 knots
Range: 495 nm
Endurance: 12 hours For more information on the Coast Guard visit the Internet at http://www.uscg.mil. For recruiting information call 1-877-NOW-USCG.


General Information: Built in 1960 to replace wooden-hulled ships that carried the same names since the 1930's, these steel-hulled 52-foot motor life boats can withstand 100-mile an hour winds and sea swells up to 35 feet. These are the only Coast Guard vessels under 65 feet that have names. Motor lifeboats are the workhorses of rescue stations. Only four 52-footers are in service.


They are built to withstand the most severe conditions at sea and are capable of effecting a rescue at sea even under the most difficult circumstances. They are self-bailing, self-righting, almost unsinkable, and have a long cruising radius.

Missions: Search and rescue, maritime law enforcement, marine environmental protection, and recreational boating safety.
All of the Coast Guard's 52-foot Motor Life Boats are located in the 13th District at:

Pepe' and Joe get well my friends. Glad you guy's are going to be ok! Brian Hollis

Tim,
Just where is this pic from, because it definitely is NOT KW!
There are no high rises!
In any case, my wife and I just spoke with Jo a few minutes prior to the start of Sunday's race, he was so hyped, as usual.
They were going out to win this race, there was no doubt in their minds or ours that they were going to do it!
When they didn't make it back to the harbor turn on the first lap, we knew something was wrong, because we fully expected them to come thundering through the harbor turn right on Ettore's butt, as they took the green flag right on the starboard stern of the pace boat!
We cannot express in words how we feel for those guys.....and their families!
God bless you Jo and Pepe and may you recover real fast. We are all here for you.
Georges and Beverly

Von Bongo,
the cutter you mentioned is not the one in the photos.
Here's the newest addition to their fleet.
It's all aluminum and totally watertight. Will withstand a 360 roll-over with little or no damage.










Damn pic won't post.
Use this link insted.....CG 47-MLB

I talked to Jo and Pepe last night, both will be all right and in good spirits. Pepe will undergo an MRI today and hopefully will be getting out today or tomorrow. Pepe said he was hurting pretty good but he is a tough oldschool guy and has a good sense of humor about it.
No structural damage to the boat and as of 7pm last night they had one of the engines running again and were hoping to fire up the other.
Some glass damage to the back where the water pressure got under a naca duct and tore off some glass.
other than that, A broken gimble,a small tear in the upholstery, and a beat up skeg is the only damage.
Pepe and Joe said it was some painful R&D but were happy the boat held up so well.
Joey said the GPS was reading 92mph when they rolled and he was thrown about 120 ft.
They are both very lucky and will be back

Good news.......

I guess the name " Survivor" really fits in this case.

WHILE TALKING TO JO YESTERDAY,HE IS IN BED REST FOR THE TIME BEING.JO AND THE FAMILY ARE HOPING FOR PEPE`S RECOVERY COME QUICKLY SO THEY CAN HAVE HIM BACK HERE IN MIAMI FOR THANKSGIVING.
PLEASE REFRAME FROM ANY RUMOR UNTILL JO AND PEPE SPEAK FOR THEMSELFS.

ANGEL AND HIS WIFE GLORIA,ANGEL IS OSO
PANTERA24,I THANK YOU BOTH FOR BEING THERE
SUPPORTING LINDA,JO,PEPE AND BARB.YOU GUYS
ARE SPECIAL AND DESERVE ALL THE GOOD LIFE
HAS TO OFFER.

ALBERT

Did this happen in a turn or on a straight?


Get well soon and best wishes :cool:

JUST SPOKE TO THE FAMILY AND PEPE WILL BE KEPT
ONE MORE DAY FOR FURHTER OBSERVATION.LET JO
COMMENT ON THE 92 MPH THING WHEN HE IS ABLE TO
COMMENT ON WHAT HAPPENED.

My thoughts and prayers are with all of them!!!

Yep,
Jo did say that he would log on and let everyone know exactly what happened.
He also said how thankful the was that the guys in the Fountain avoided them! They were about 3 lengths in front of the Fountain when the accident occurred, and the Fountain guys got around Jo, Pepe, and the boat.
So, Big thumbs up to the guys in that Fountain!

The family is thankful for everyones kind thoughts and prayers for their recovery.



No, those pics were from Ft.Lauderdale...:D
Here's another:

Hang in there Pantera Fam!! GW & CW :frog:



Getting ready for testing on Friday, KW.....

I stand corrected..it looks like a 60's vintage :D

thanxs angel,

GET WELL
 

Get well guys..
Man that suvivor is beatiful ..

SPEAKING TO JO AT THIS TIME AND PEPE SHOULD BE HOME TOMORROW FOR THANKSGIVING,WHAT GREAT
NEWS.JO SOUNDS VERY GOOD ON THE PHONE ANE VERY POSITIVE ABOUT HIMSELF AND HIS DAD.

ALBERT

Re: GET WELL
 

Niiiiice.

There's Albert (mypantera28) in the ornage shirt.
I don't know whos azz that is....;)

Did the guys in the Fountain stop to assist? If not - big thumbs DOWN.

Did the Fountain Stop?????????
 

During a Nascar Race, does the driver behind the car that wrecks stop to help??? No, that's what the safety crews are there for...Come on guys...Going 90 mph and someone crashes right in front of you, you avoid running over them, sounds like the Fountain did good, and sounds like the Pantera guys are thankful for his quick reaction. I didn't see the crash, but that is a little overboard to say thumbs down when the guys in the drink hoping not to get get hit say he did a good job.:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes:

I wouldn't get too excited on this one.
Both, all the boats were moving right along when this happened. The Fountain was right behind the Pantera.

The Fountain may have got into a bad situation if they stopped on the course.

Jo expressed his thanks that the Fountain crew had it in them to get around and not run him over!!!

First and Foremost -
Pepe and Jo are doing alright inspite the severity of the accident. This could have been much worse, but thankfully it isn't. In light of this, we need to continue praying for their speedy recovery.

On behalf of the Nunez family I would like to thank EVERYONE that helped during this unfortunate event.
Unfortunately I can't remember everyones' names since the last couple of days seem like a big blur,but there were many.

In the upcoming days I'm sure Jo will post more info. but right now he needs to focus on himself and his family.

Here are pics of them as they were just about to start the race.

#2

Re: Did the Fountain Stop?????????
 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Geeter-B
[B]During a Nascar Race, does the driver behind the car that wrecks stop to help??? No, that's what the safety crews are there for...




This is not nascar:rolleyes:

georges
 

No Sh*t???
Duh.....My point was if you think a boat 3 lengths behind going 90 should stop on a dime and stop to help your nuts. Yeah, I'll hit the brakes and leave more in the way for the racers behind me to have to dodge...
Maybe that's why I never understand what I read here....I thought this was a Nascar site with cool motor tech info and the members just happened to own boats.:p :p :p

Geeter,

Have you ever raced? There are areas of every race course that can't be constantly monitored by safety crews. Racers stop to assist all the time. They may be the only ones that know that someone is in the water. I stand by my "thumbs down" statement if the Fountain did not stop.

Straight from the APBA rule book (yes, i know that it wasn't an APBA race....)-

RULE 11 – ACCIDENT ENCOUNTERS

The first racing craft to encounter an accident scene shall stop to render assistance (and notify Race Control on 78A). If the ultimate finishing position of a boat stopping to render assistance is negatively affected thereby, points shall be awarded as follows:

A. First Boat to Stop - When one boat stops to assist another boat in trouble: the boat that stops to assist receives points for the position it was in at the scoring point just prior to when he stopped. If the boat(s) involved in the accident are in the same class as the boat stopping to assist, then the boat(s) involved in the accident shall be removed from the actual scoring line-up at the scoring point prior to the accident before reassigning scoring positions in accordance with this rule.

In the Great Lakes Silver Cup Series, we have had several incidents where racers have ended up in the water. Most often, it has been another race boat that observed the incident occur and rendered first assistance by blocking oncoming boats who may not be aware that there are P.I.W.. Occasionally, racers from other boats have even entered the water to support an injured racer until a rescue boat arrives on scene to provide definative care. I believe this act defines true sportsmanship and their assistance is always greatly appreciated by the officials, victims, and the rescue staff.

There were only two boats in F2 anyway. Why wouldn't the other F2 Boat stop? Makes no sense if the didn't - BH

The Pantera race team ran very strong on Wednesday race.I was very impressed on the boats performance in 6 footers.The boat seemed to eat up the rough waters in Key West.Jo told me that after the start of lap three he had backed it down to 4700 RPM since he had almost a full lap lead on the F2 Fountain speedwear boat.It seemed like they were pulling away from the Fountain boat again on Sunday which i was impressed since it was much flatter water conditions.I hope these guys come back and race again next season .JO told me they still have more speed on the boat with more prop testing.

Hope you guys make a full and speedy recovery.

Seahorse

I'm glad to hear that Jo and Pepe are gonna be ok. The boat can be repaired and I am sure they will race again. As for if the Fountain should have stopped, I am not goin to comment one way or the other. I think the only people who can truely comment on that one are Jo ad Pepe. I know what I would have done but I am not going to pass judgement on somebody else's actions without actually being in their situation at the time.

Glad to hear that it looks like all will recover and be ok.....

Re: georges
 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Geeter-B
No Sh*t???
Duh.....My point was if you think a boat 3 lengths behind going 90 should stop on a dime and stop to help your nuts. Yeah, I'll hit the brakes and leave more in the way for the racers behind me to have to dodge...
Maybe that's why I never understand what I read here....I thought this was a Nascar site with cool motor tech info and the members just happened to own boats.:p :p :p [/QUOTE

AGAIN THIS IS NOT NASCAR,AND TWO PEOPLE WERE THROWN OVERBOARD.THE POINT OF THE MATTER IS RACERS GET CREDIT FOR STOPPING AND HELPING
CRASH VICTIMS IN THIS SPORT.

I`M NOT AGAINST OR WITH THE FOUNTAIN BOAT,
EVERYONE REACTS DIFFRENT, IN THERE CASE THEY
DIDNT HAVE ANYONE ELSE TO RACE BUT PANTERA,
SO BY TURNING AROUND AND SEING IF THEY WERE
OK WASNT GOING TO MAKE THEM LOOSE A LAP.

THIS IS ALL TALK, WE WERNT THERE TO KNOW IF THEY
DID OR NOT.

I've never raced a boat. Probably never will. I was going off what I read at the beginning of this thread. "Mr Pantera" was thankful for the guys reaction, and I went along with him in thinking the guy did the right thing. As for if he should have stopped, well, none of us were on that Fountain so it's all speculation and noone knows what they will do in that situation until unfortunately they find themselves in it. To bake the guy for not stopping isn't right in my opinion, but that's just my take.
Hopefully noone will be disabled after this crash, and that's the best part about it. Better to be talking about wether the guy should've stopped than how he ran over the guys in the water.

Re: Did the Fountain Stop?????????
 

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Geeter-B
During a Nascar Race, does the driver behind the car that wrecks stop to help??? No, that's what the safety crews are there for...Come on guys...Going 90 mph and someone crashes right in front of you, you avoid running over them, sounds like the Fountain did good, and sounds like the Pantera guys are thankful for his quick reaction. I didn't see the crash, but that is a little overboard to say thumbs down when the guys in the drink hoping not to get get hit say he did a good job.:rolleyes: :rolleyes: :rolleyes: [/QUOTE

GEETER-B I GOES TO SHOW THAT YOU NEVER RACED
IN OFFSHORE,WHEN I RACED IN THE 70 AND 80 I`LL
BE SHOCKED IF WE DIDNT STOP TO ASSIST ANYONE.
IF THE FOUNTAIN BOAT DIDNT STOP I`LL BE THE FIRST TO SAY THAT THEY ARE CHICKEN ****S.MYPANTERA28
AND THE JOKER SAID IT BEST,WHO ELSE WERE THEY RACING SO BY STOPPING AND ASSISITING THE PANTERA WASNT GOING TO HURT THERE PACE.

NEVERTHELESS,LET ME NOT WASTE MY TIME WITH SOMEONE WHO HAS NO CLUE IN RACING,PEPE AND
JO I`M GLAD YOU BOTH ARE HOME AND RECOVERING
FROM A SERIOUS ENCOUNTER,THE PANTERA IS ONE HELL
OF A BOAT.JO YOU TOLD ME THAT YOU HAVE ENDLESS
SPEEDS STILL FOR THIS BOAT WITH A FEW PROP CHANGES.HOPE TO SEE YOU GUYS SOON IN THE RACE COURSE LEAVING BEHIND YOUR ROOSTER TAIL TO THE FLEET.LOL

PEPE, NOW THAT I COME TO THINK OF IT YOU HAVE RACED IN FOUR DIFFRENT DECADES YOUR ARE IN
MY EYES A TRUE SURVIVOR OF THIS SPORT AND I KNOW
ALOT OF PEOPLE FEAL THE SAME WAY.

HAPPY HOLIDAYS

I knew our tip top crew would find something to argue about.:rolleyes:

Sounds like the guys are OK, great, then hopefully you'll be back on that horse in no time!http://www.offshoreonly.com/forums/i...ons/icon14.gif

If you would like to argue with racers only, there is the racers only milling area:D :D :D

get off it already

Whats the latest ??
 

How are the guys doing? does anyone have an update?

Hey Guys,

First of all I want to say thanks to everybody that has been concerned and has prayed for my Father and I.

We definetely to took a hard hit and lucky to be alive.
I am back at work now with allot of back pain but will deal with it after getting a bad compression fracture on my back.My Father got released from the Hospital on Friday and is in worst shape than I.He basically has a broken ankle, pulled nerves from his neck and shoulder area, he swallowed allot of salt water,and they also discoverd blood in his lungs.He is in good spirits but basically told me that his entire body is in allot of pain except for his hair and belly button.

We went and won on Wednesdays race by a large margin of over 2 1/2 minutes in rough water conditions and were leading and pulling way in flat water conditions on Sundays race.

The boat came out of the incident in fairly good shape with minor glass damage.What a way to do some R and D.

I want to say Thank You to all the people that helped us out after the accident while we were at the Hospital.

From dealing with the Pirates,to checking up on us at the Hospital,to working on the boat and and running gear we could not have done it with out their help.

A special thanks goes to Angel Martinez and his Wife
( Pantera24 on OSO ). Not only did Angel spend the night in Key West on Sunday Night he was up early Monday Morning with My Family working on putting the boat on the trailer coming back to Miami with My Sister and worked until Midnight pulling the motors out.

Bill Grannis,Steve from OSO,Titos,BJ Maher,Mindy from Doller, Eric Treadwell all worked very hard on getting us through all of this. Almost forgot Debbie Fleishman from OPBRA and all the OSO members that sent us Emails and phone calls.

We will be back racing in 2004 stronger and faster than ever.

Regards,

JO- Pantera Boats

I new I forgot one person that worked very hard with us that is on OSO member and a great friend Albert (My Pantera28).He worked on Thursday till late replacing Gimballs and after the Accident worked very hard on the boat.

Thanks Albert,

JO :)