Accidents of the Week - February 17, 2024
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Coast Guard Saves Three from Sinking Sailboat
2/4/24 – Camden Co., GA
The Coast Guard rescued three people after their vessel sank one mile from the St. Mary’s Inlet, between Georgia and Florida, on 4 February.
Watchstanders with Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville received a message around 1 p.m. via its VHF-FM channel 16 from a member aboard the 26-foot sailboat 'Last Chance' stating the vessel was run aground and was taking in water roughly one mile north of the St. Mary’s Inlet.
After receiving the message, watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast and sent a Coast Guard Station Mayport boat crew and a Coast Guard Air Station Savannah helicopter to the location of the sinking vessel. Several Good Samaritans along with the Nassau County Sheriff's Office Marine Unit followed closely behind to assist.
All three crew members were taken to emergency medical technicians who were waiting at the Dee Dee Bartels Boat Ramp in Fernandina Beach, Florida.
19 Rescued After Sailboat Dismasted in ‘Gale-Force’ Winds
2/4/24 – Long Beach, CA
An ill-advised ocean outing turned into a fight for survival for 19 people on the afternoon of 4 February, after a boat crashed into the rocky breakwater off Long Beach as a powerful storm lashed Southern California.
“Apparently they’d gone out sailing and met with some gale-force winds,” said Brian Fisk, a firefighter and public information officer for the Long Beach Fire Department. The 40-foot sailboat found itself in choppy, storm-riled waters when winds snapped its mast, rendering it difficult if not impossible to control.
Dismasted Sailboat ‘Battered’, ‘Tossed’ Against Breakwater
The craft ended up battered and tossed against the Long Beach breakwater near the mouth of Alamitos Bay, with those aboard scrambling up the rocks, temporarily safe but stranded and in danger. The distress call came in to the Long Beach Fire Department at 2:50 p.m. over Channel 16, which is reserved for emergencies, Fisk said.
The department sent two rescue boats and lifeguards. Before the professional rescuers arrived, eight people already had been extricated — either by people who heard about the situation on a scanner, were alerted by those on board or saw what was happening. Fire Department rescuers brought the remaining 11 to safety.
“The weather not only caused the accident,” Fisk said, “but hampered our rescue effort.” One person suffered non-life-threatening injuries. “Those people were really lucky,” Fisk said.
Man, 6-Year-Old Rescued ‘On Verge of Hypothermia’ After Kayak Flips
2/4/24 – Burien, WA
A man and a 6-year-old were rescued by South King County Fire crews near Burien, Washington, after their kayak flipped on 4 February.
Crews responded to the Puget Sound near Burien and found the man and child “on the verge of hypothermia.”
Man Saved, 45-Foot Boat Towed by US Coast Guard
2/4/24 – St Pete, FL
A man was rescued by the US Coast Guard station in St. Petersburg, Florida, and Sea Tow Tampa Bay crews, after his 45-foot boat started taking on water.
Crews responded to the boat off St. Pete Pier on 4 February, according to the Coast Guard. The station’s crew transported the man, who was experiencing nausea, to EMS. The boat was dewatered and towed to the North Yacht Basin.
Coast Guard Assists Disabled Boater off South Carolina
2/4/24 – Pawleys Island, SC
A U.S. Coast Guard vessel aided a disabled boater on 4 February about 10 miles offshore of Pawleys Island, South Carolina, officials said.
A crew from U.S. Coast Guard Station Georgetown towed the unidentified boat to Murrells Inlet, north of the island. No medical concerns were reported, the Coast Guard said on its X social media account.
Coast Guard Saves Two People from Sinking Boat
2/5/24 - Mobile, AL
The U.S. Coast Guard said it was “in the right place at the right time” to save two people from a sinking boat in the Gulf of Mexico on 5 February.
A rescue swimmer was sent from a helicopter to help the two mariners, the U.S. Coast Guard Aviation Training Center said on social media. The swimmer helped the mariners climb onboard a nearby USCG boat, called the M/V Saavgaq.
Thermal footage released by the training center, in Mobile, Alabama, shows two boaters being helped onboard the vessel, just as the hull they were standing on becomes submerged.
Kayaking Incident Claims Teen's Life in Texas Lake
2/4/24 – Walker Co., TX
A 17-year-old boy lost his life in a kayaking accident on Lake Conroe, Texas, on 4 February.
Authorities say the kayak capsized just before 2:00 p.m., throwing the teenager into the 50-degree Lake Conroe without a life vest. It happened near the FM 1375 bridge in the Sam Houston National Forest. In spite of their rescue efforts, witnesses say the young man, who had just celebrated his 17th birthday last week, went under.
Walker County Sheriff's Office, New Waverly Fire Department, and Texas Game Wardens responded to the scene to begin recovery efforts. Additional resources, such as the Montgomery County Precinct 1 Lake Patrol Dive Team and North Montgomery County Fire, were deployed, intensifying the search by 6:00 p.m. The North Montgomery County's side-scan sonar located the victim around 9:00 p.m. Divers recovered the teen's body.