Accidents of the Week - November 23, 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.

Coast Guard Rescues 3 from Sinking Boat

11/10/24 – Long Island, NY

The Coast Guard rescued three people on 10 November after their boat sank off the coast of Long Island, New York.

At approximately 4:15 p.m., Suffolk County dispatch notified Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound watchstanders and relayed text messages received, indicating a boat was taking on water near the SS Iberia shipwreck, with three people in the water. Sector Long Island watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast (UMIB) and launched boat crews from Station Jones Beach and Station Fire Island to respond.

Dive Boat Master Escaped Sinking Vessel Through Bow Hatch

A Coast Guard Station Jones Beach boat crew arrived on scene and retrieved two divers and the vessel’s master from the water. The vessel master reported that the boat sank rapidly, but he managed to escape through a bow hatch.

All three people were transported to a local marina, where emergency medical services brought them to Long Beach Memorial Hospital/Long Beach Medical Center. No serious injuries were reported.

Kayaker Rescued After Passing Out on Intracoastal Waterway

11/10/24 – Volusia Co., FL

A kayaker passed out and slipped into a major boating waterway in Florida, video showed.

His friend saved him from drowning in the Intracoastal Waterway and called for help, and a crabber on a boat nearby towed them until a sheriff’s office marine deputy arrived, the Volusia Sheriff’s Office said in a Facebook post on 10 November.

The agency shared a video of the rescue, showing the deputy approaching and asking the kayaker’s friend whether he was breathing. Then the friend helped load the entire kayak onto the rescue boat, with the kayaker on top.

“He’s got a weak pulse,” the deputy said as they raced off toward land. By the time they got there, the kayaker had no pulse and was unresponsive, a rescuer said in the video. Paramedics started lifesaving treatment and the kayaker was taken to a hospital, where he regained a pulse and was reported to be recovering.

Coast Guard Searches for Missing Sailor, Vessel off Cape Cod

11/7/24 – Cape Cod, MA

Officials searched for a missing sailor and his 48-foot boat off the coast of Cape Cod, the Coast Guard announced.

The U.S. Coast Guard Northeast announced a search and rescue in progress starting on 10 November. The 48-foot sailing vessel “Alchemist” had one sailor on board and had last been seen near Pleasant Bay near Chatham, Massachusetts, they said.

The guard said the sailing boat, which was last contacted on 7 November, had a green hull and a green bimini.

Coast Guard Rescues Kite Surfer off California Beach

11/12/24 – San Francisco, CA

The Coast Guard rescued a kite surfer north of Davenport Beach, California, on the evening of 12 November.

Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector San Francisco Command Center received a relayed distress call from CAL FIRE for a kite surfer in distress near Davenport Beach at 4:45 p.m. Watchstanders then directed the launch of an Air station San Francisco MH-65 Dolphin Helicopter aircrew at 4:55 p.m. to conduct the hoist.

While on scene, the Santa Cruz Fire Department deployed two rescue swimmers to locate and assist the kite surfer around 5:10 p.m. The aircrew arrived on scene and located the kite surfer and two Santa Cruz Fire Department rescue swimmers.

The aircrew deployed a Coast Guard rescue swimmer and then hoisted all three individuals into the helicopter and transported them back to shore at approximately 5:30 p.m. There were no reported medical concerns from the kite surfer.

Missing Boater Found Dead After Falling Overboard

11/18/24 – Washington, DC

A missing boater was found dead in the water after falling off a boat at the District Yacht Club in Southeast Washington D.C. on the evening of 18 November, according to D.C. Fire officials.

Witnesses confirmed that a man fell into the water from a boat and did not resurface in the Anacostia River off of 1409 Water Street, Southeast D.C., officials said. Multiple dive teams were deployed to search for the man, and crews utilized sonar equipment in the effort. The U.S. Park Police also dispatched a helicopter to assist in the search.

After 90 minutes of searching, officials transitioned the operation from a rescue to a recovery mission, and the missing boater was ultimately found dead.

Rescuers Save Boater Clinging to Piece of Lumber as Storm Approaches

11/18/24 – Jasper Co., TX

Volunteer rescuers were credited with possibly saving the lives of two boaters caught in an approaching storm on 18 November on Lake Sam Rayburn, Texas, with one clinging to a piece of lumber in the water, according to local news reports.

Volunteers with the Jasper County Emergency Corps were sent to an area near the public boat ramp and Rattlesnake Island on the south side of the lake, when emergency dispatchers at the Jasper County Sheriff's Office received a call pleading for help.

Thunderstorm Winds Carried Boat Away from Shore

Emergency Corps President Billy Williford explained that they had arrived at the location to find a woman stranded on a 22-foot pontoon boat as it drifted west of the island. Her husband was clinging to a piece of lumber not far away. Williford says first responders rescued the man from the water, pulling him aboard a boat, and they rescued the woman.

The couple explained that they were at Rattlesnake Island when strong winds from an approaching thunderstorm developed. They said the wind quickly carried the boat away from shore and the woman didn't know how to start the engine.

The boat kept drifting farther away from the bank, and the man jumped into the water and began to swim toward the boat. He wasn't able to catch up with it, forcing him to cling to a piece of lumber.

1 Dead, 4 Hospitalized After Boat Capsizes

11/18/24 – Sonoma, CA

One person died and several others were hospitalized after a boat capsized near Bodega Bay, California, on 18 November, authorities said.

The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office received a call about a boater in distress at 1:45 p.m. The boat had capsized with five people on board near Salmon Creek, close to Bodega Bay.

Five people were located and rescued, but one of them was pronounced dead, according to sheriff's officials. The other four were transported to a local hospital, with their conditions unknown. The cause of the accident was under investigation, the sheriff's department said.