Accidents of the Week – February 4, 2023
4 February, 2023
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.
Kayaker rescued by Coast Guard in Columbia River near Cathlamet
1/21/23 – Cathlamet, WA
The Coast Guard was called out on the morning of 21 January to rescue a man in the Columbia River near Puget Island after his kayak capsized.
The island is located south of Cathlamet, Washington in Wahkiakum County, about halfway between Longview and Astoria, Oregon.
Kayaker was wearing PFD
The U.S. Coast Guard's Pacific Northwest Region said a witness on shore had seen the man in the water and called 911. The kayaker was wearing a life jacket. A crew from Astoria responded around 11:30 a.m. and arrived within 20 minutes.
The Coast Guard sent a rescue swimmer to save the man, lowering a basket to haul him up to a waiting helicopter. The man was evaluated for hypothermia by EMS but declined transportation to the hospital. He was expected to be okay.
Body Believed to be Missing 49-year-old Kayaker Found Near West Bay, Coast Guard Says
1/20/23 – Jamaica Beach, TX
The U.S. Coast Guard found a body they believe belongs to a missing man who didn't return from kayaking north of Jamaica Beach, Texas, on 20 January.
The body was found at 10:30 a.m. on 22 January near West Bay. Officials said it matched the description of 49-year-old Barry Baham.
Baham was initially reported missing near Jamaica Beach around 9:30 p.m. on 20 January after he was late to return from kayaking. He was supposed to return to the dock at 4 p.m. in a 12 to 15-foot white fishing kayak with a trolling motor.
The Coast Guard called off the search efforts after the body was found.
Body of Missing Virginia Fisherman Found off Hilton Head After Empty Boat Reported
1/21/23 – Hilton Head, SC
The body of a missing boater was found in the Port Royal Sound about eight miles off of Hilton Head Island Saturday, according to officials from the South Carolina Department of Natural Resources (SCDNR) and the Beaufort County Coroner’s Office.
Christopher Whisnant, 61, of Salem, Virginia, was identified as the fisherman who died on 21 January, said deputy coroner Andrew McNeese with the Beaufort County Coroner’s Office. Whisnant had gone fishing that morning, McNeese said, near the Beaufort ‘45 Reef, an artificial reef in the area.
SCDNR got the call on 21 January about a missing boater with a boat “doing circles” in the Port Royal Sound, said Greg Lucas, a spokesperson for the department. No one was on board the boat when it was searched, Lucas said.
As they continued looking for the missing boater, they found Whisnant who was pulled from the water by the U.S. Coast Guard. SCDNR was investigating the incident. A cause of death for Whisnant had not been identified, and an autopsy was scheduled, McNeese said.
Man Dies After Hitting Channel Marker; Commercial Fishing Vessel Hits Sailboat
1/21/23 – Tavernier, FL
1/20/23 – Marquesas Keys, FL
A Hialeah man died on 21 January after being ejected from a boat he was captaining off Tavernier, while authorities were still searching on 23 January for a commercial fishing vessel and its crew that struck a sailboat, causing one man to be hospitalized on Friday.
Boat Operator Ejected After Hitting Channel Marker
Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers responded to a single vessel accident bayside of Tavernier Key at about 8 p.m. on 21 January, according to FWC spokeswoman Arielle Callender.
Preliminary information indicated that the vessel, a 26-foot Contender, struck a channel marker, Callender said. The vessel had five occupants onboard: Enrique Neal Huertas of Miami, Cassandra Kelly Bissett of Miami, Scott David Savino of Hollywood, Roberto Lazaro Valido of Miami, and Freddy Sergio Diaz of Hialeah.
Diaz, the operator of the vessel, was ejected from the boat. He was transported to a local hospital where he later died from his injuries, Callender said. “Our sympathies are with the victim’s family and friends during this difficult time,” she added.
Authorities Searching for Fishing Vessel that Hit Sailboat, Injuring One
The accident was the second with injuries in two days in Florida Keys waters. On 23 January, FWC officers were still searching for a commercial vessel that crashed into the sailing vessel Applesauce in the Marquesas Keys on early Friday morning.
The unknown vessel struck the sailboat, with two occupants aboard, south of the Marquesas Keys. The male passenger onboard the sailboat sustained non life-threatening injuries and was transported to an area hospital for treatment. The commercial vessel left the scene of the accident, according to authorities.
The couple exited the boat and boarded a dinghy following the crash. The Coast Guard was dispatched to rescue them after receiving a call from another boater, according to the Coast Guard.
The man complained of severe back pain and suffered a laceration to his head and a puncture wound, according to authorities. He was taken to land and then flown by air ambulance to Jackson South Medical Center in Miami, FWC Capt. Dave Dipre said.
Coast Guard Rescues Boater Off NC Coast
1/22/23 – Cape Fear, NC
Elizabeth City-based U.S. Coast Guard aircrews rescued a 73-year-old boater on 23 January whose sailboat was taking on water off the North Carolina coast.
Coast Guard officials said the boater reported Sunday that his 33-foot sailboat, Freyja, was taking on water because of heavy weather 155 miles east of Cape Fear.
Aircrews aboard a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and HC-130 Hercules launched from U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, located the boater’s vessel and hoisted him to safety, the Coast Guard said.
The Jayhawk crew transported the boater to Wilmington. No injuries were reported, the Coast Guard said.
South Carolina coaching legend Jerry Stoots dies in Lake Moultrie boating accident
1/24/23 – Moncks Corner, SC
South Carolina high school baseball coaching legend Jerry Stoots died on 24 January in a boating accident on Lake Moultrie, Berkeley County authorities and a family member confirmed.
The bodies of Stoots, 75, of Goose Creek, and Lee Watkins, 68, of North Charleston, were found floating in the lake near an unoccupied boat, the coroner’s office reported. The coroner’s office received a call just before 2 p.m. from a nearby resident in Pinopolis who
had spotted one of the bodies, according a report. Authorities arrived to find another body floating nearby.
55-foot Yacht Catches Fire at Ruskin Marina
1/26/23 – Ruskin, FL
A 55-foot-long yacht caught on fire on the morning of 26 January at a marina in Ruskin, Florida, according to Hillsborough County Fire Rescue.
Just after 9 a.m., firefighters responded to Little Harbor Marinas after someone called to report a fire on a boat moored to the end of the dock. First responders said when they arrived, they saw heavy smoke coming from a 55-foot yacht.
Fire Boat Kept Yacht From Sinking
Fire crews then began "attacking" the blaze after advancing handlines up the dock to the boat. Shortly after that, Fire Boat 29 arrived and helped "de-water" the boat to keep it from sinking. Crews searched the vessel but didn't find anyone on board. The owner of the boat was located, and no injuries were reported.