Accidents of the Week - December 14, 2024
BoatTEST publishes “Accidents of the Week” as a public service for our VIP Subscribers to acquaint them with potential boating dangers and by inference their prevention.
Five Boats Destroyed in Blaze at Alabama Marina
12/3/24 – Scottsboro, Alabama
Boat owners at the Goose Pond Marina in Scottsboro, Alabama, got quite the wake-up call on the morning of 3 December, when five boats went up in flames on Dock 6.
Firefighters said they received the call at around 6 a.m., and they arrived to find multiple boats had been destroyed. “We had three or four that were heavily damaged that had actually sunk in the water in their spot. Two broke free and broke away from the dock, which helped us,” said Scottsboro Fire Department Lieutenant Patrick Dicus.
A woman who keeps a boat at the marina went outside to have coffee and watch the sunrise when she saw the flames. She shouted to her husband to call 911. The husband also ran to a couple of boats with two fire extinguishers. Other boaters jumped in and assisted.
After Fire Safety Training, Boat Owners ‘Did a Great Job’
One boat owner told local reporters that his boat, which was destroyed, was only docked at the marina for two days before the fire claimed it.
Goose Pond General Manager Lyle Sosebee said receiving the call had left a sinking feeling. “First thing that goes through your mind is that everyone is safe and everyone is trying to do what they can to help everybody out,” Sosebee said.
He added that boat owners had recently gone through fire safety training, which came in handy. “These boaters did a great job. They tried to assess what the fire was, they got to a space that was safe, they called in for help and probably saved all kinds of other issues that we don’t even know could have happened,” said Sosebee.
The State Fire Marshal and members of NTSB were investigating what had sparked the early morning blaze. No injuries were reported.
Authorities Search for Boy, 7, After Boating Accident
11/29/24 – Mobile, AL
An urgent search was underway for 7-year-old Hunter Slezak, who went shrimping on Friday 29 November with his father Michael Slezak and Sam Wooley on a 22-foot boat named Marty Ann, near Alabama’s Pelican Bay.
After the boaters did not return to shore, law enforcement, search and rescue teams, and the U.S. Coast Guard began frantically searching.
Slezak, who was the head baseball coach at a local middle school, and Wooley, a Vietnam veteran, husband, and grandfather, were both found dead just south of Dauphin Island over the weekend. The location of Hunter and the boat was still a mystery.
Boy ‘May Be Inside the Cabin’ of Sunken Boat: Sheriff
“I was talking with an older gentleman who is a lifelong shrimper and who knew Sam very well,” said Mobile County Sheriff Paul Burch. “His belief, knowing the design of that boat, he feels like the boat capsized for some reason and that Hunter may be inside the cabin. If in fact the boat capsized, it’s going to take sonar-type equipment to locate it.”
The U.S. Coast Guard told local reporters that debris such as life jackets, a five-gallon ice-cream bucket, a bull horn, and clothing items had been found.
18 People Rescued After Wave Topples Boat
11/30/24 – San Francisco, CA
Eighteen people escaped apparent injury after the boat they were rowing overturned in south San Francisco Bay near Oyster Point on 30 November, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
San Francisco firefighters said a call for mutual aid was issued by police in Brisbane, California, after the boat was reported capsized about 8 a.m.
The Oyster Point Marina rescue vessel Challenger found 15 people and a San Francisco police launch located three victims, the Coast Guard said on social media. There were no reports of injuries.
One Dead after Kayaking Incident in Virginia Pond
11/30/24 – Mecklenburg Co., VA
One person was dead following a water rescue in a pond just outside of South Hill, Virginia, on 30 November, with officials stating they received several reports that a person never returned to the water’s surface after their kayak overturned.
On Saturday 30 November, South Hill Fire was dispatched to a pond off of Highway 47, just outside of the town of South Hill, after officials said they received several calls stating that a male subject had been kayaking when his kayak overturned and he did not return to the water’s surface.
Units were reportedly on the scene for several hours. Officials said the victim was able to be located and South Hill Fire’s boat 7 recovered the male and returned him to the shore. According to South Hill Fire, the victim died due to his injuries as the water temperature was reported to be 46 degrees.
“This was a difficult recovery with cold water, cold air temperatures and with family on site. Our members did an outstanding job and all agencies who assisted were very helpful and supportive. Our hearts go out to the families of the victim,” said Michael Vaughan, South Hill Volunteer Fire Department’s Fire Chief.
Body of 35-Year-Old Boater Recovered in Florida Bay
12/3/24 – Walton Co., FL
Authorities recovered the body of missing 35-year-old boater Benjamin Lee Godwin, who went missing on the evening of 3 December on Florida’s Choctawhatchee Bay.
The Walton County Sheriff's Office (WCSO) said Godwin had gone missing "after calling his wife as his boat was taking on water." The WCSO Marine Unit and Drone Team was activated to assist the Coast Guard and Florida Fish and Wildlife (FWC), alongside Okaloosa MedFlight, Bay County Sheriff's Office Air One, Walton County Fire Rescue, Florida, and South Walton Fire District.
"Information gathered revealed the subject launched a boat from Nicks on the Bay and called his wife for help. The boat was located in the bay; however, the boater has not been located," the sheriff's office declared in a release at the time.
Godwin’s body was ultimately recovered by the FWC Dive Team, and an investigation into the death was ongoing.
Man, Woman Rescued After Kayak Flips Off Oahu
12/3/24 – Kailua, HI
Lifeguards on a jet ski rescued a pair of tourists after their kayak flipped in waters of Windward Oahu, Hawaii.
Ocean Safety found the man and woman in their 40′s struggling in waves behind Popoia Island (Flat Island) off Kailua Beach around 2:45 p.m. on the afternoon of 3 December.
Both were brought to shore without injuries. Ocean Safety said they were wearing life jackets.
Three Winter Boat Fires in Marinas Prompt Warnings
12/9/24 – Chesapeake, VA
Just since the week of Thanksgiving, three boats have caught fire while sitting in their marina slips in three different parts of the Chesapeake Bay.
Causes have not been released for two of the fires, but these incidents serve as a reminder for boat owners to be especially vigilant in safeguarding against fires on board in the winter months.
While fires can break out at any time on a boat, the cold months can bring extra risks, with the most recent fire unfolding on the evening of Sunday 8 December at a Baltimore Marina.
Chief John Nelson of Maryland’s Seventh District Fire Department urged boaters to take precautions during the winter months.