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Harbor Branch
Oceanographic Institute
Twin Vee Story
FORT PIERCE -- It really was a no-brainer, according to dolphin expert
Steve McCulloch.
The Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institute researcher said the best
possible boat choice for releasing three rehabilitated dolphins into the
Atlantic Gulf Stream last month was a Twin Vee 36 because of its
“massive” deck space and smooth ride in the roughest of water.
McCulloch said the release was “textbook,” even though the seas of up to
seven feet were anything but.
“We had three dolphins and a staff of 15 animal care specialists on that
boat and we could have put five or six more people on there and not have
known the difference,” said McCulloch, director of dolphin research for
Harbor Branch.
The Twin Vee 36, along with a Twin Vee 32 and 26, were joined March 3 by
a 22-foot Coast Guard rigid inflatable boat in heading more than 20
miles offshore for the release of the three survivors from a pod of 30
dolphins that beached themselves near Fort Pierce last August.
McCulloch said Twin Vee President David East was “extremely helpful” in
arranging the Twin Vee boats for the convoy designed to release the
dolphins into water more than 200 feet deep far offshore.
Despite the rough weather, he said, the distance was required so that
dolphins wouldn’t be easily able to dive to the bottom in an attempt to
scrape the tracking devices from their dorsal fins.
Though the Coast Guard boat took a pounding while keeping up with the
Twin Vee boats, McCulloch said the Twin Vee boats maintained their
25-knot pace in order to not delay the dolphins’ release any longer than
necessary.
“The real proof for me of the Twin Vee ride was, even with all that
weight, the faster we went, the smoother the ride. Nobody really knew
how rough it was until we stopped. It was that smooth of a ride,” he
said.
The Twin Vee 32 was an observer boat from a South Florida dealer and was
designated as a back-up transport boat in case the Twin Vee 36 developed
mechanical problems and the dolphins had to be transferred to a working
boat for the later deployment, McCulloch said.
“We certainly couldn’t be in the position of not releasing the dolphins
at the target zone,” he explained.
The Twin Vee 26, owned and operated by the St. Lucie County Sheriff’s
office, served as a platform for media representatives.
Why did McCulloch call Twin Vee for help with the dolphin release? “I
bought two boats from Twin Vee last year after researching a number of
different boats for specific application to marine mammal research,
photo identification and marine mammal rescue efforts,” McCulloch said.
Harbor Branch has a 22-foot, dual-engine center console model and a
single-engine 19 Bay Cat model.
The 22-footer has been specially modified with side doors on the gunwale
and a removable door at the stern to allow for easier moving of large,
marine mammals into and out of the vessel. A specially designed T-top
awning was also crafted to protect researchers and animals sometimes in
the boat for long periods of time, McCulloch said.
“I’ve had 10 people on that boat along with a 600-pound animal and have
had no operational difficulties,” he said.
McCulloch said he learned about Twin Vee boats’ capabilities more than
four years ago while in the South Pacific. He was scheduled for a
meeting with government officials on an island some 30 miles away from
where he was staying.
Rough weather with seas of up to 10 feet kept scheduled ferry service
from operating and the government arranged for him to be picked up in a
26-foot Twin Vee Hawaiian, a cuddy cabin-style of boat.
“I didn’t like the appearance when the thing pulled up but by the time
we were out in the seas and hitting those waves, I thought to myself,
‘Where can we get one of these boats?’ I just fell in love with the
performance and safety of the boats,” McCulloch said.
With more than 40 years of boating experience, McCulloch said he knows a
thing or two about boats. With Twin Vee having sold boats to law
enforcement agencies, the U.S. Navy and to numerous Sea Tow operators,
handling demanding applications was proven, he said.
“We sea-trialed other catamarans. Some were too expensive. Some had too
much freeboard. Even with cost not as the major issue, Twin Vee still
won in our evaluation,” McCulloch said. “And then you can add the fact
that anybody that owns one is high on it.”
Twin Vee Inc. is one of the fastest-growing boat manufacturers in the
country and builds power catamarans ranging in length from 10.5 feet to
36 feet. Twin Vee (www.twinvee.net) is also among the Treasure Coast’s
top employers among boatbuilding companies with more than 100 workers.
For more information and a personal inspection of a Twin Vee, contact a
dealer near you by referring to the company’s Web site.
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