Accidents of the Week - November 30, 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.
Boat Heavily Damaged in Chesapeake Bay Fire
11/17/24 – Poquoson, VA
A boat fire prompted a response from crews with Virginia’s Poquoson Fire and Rescue Department on 17 November.
According to officials, Poquoson Marine 1 was asked to assist with a boat fire near the mouth of the Rappahannock River, which flows into Chesapeake Bay. Crews arrived to the scene and found a 34-foot vessel, which was heavily damaged.
The owner of the boat was uninjured and helped out of the water by a good Samaritan.
Coast Guard Rescues 16 People Near Bay Area
11/16/24, 11/17/24 – San Francisco, CA
Sixteen people were rescued along the Northern California coast over the weekend from 15 to 17 November in five separate incidents, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) announced.
The first rescue unfolded on 15 November, when a 16-foot boat became grounded on mud in the San Pablo Bay. A Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew rescued three people off of the boat, officials said.
Coast Guard Responds to Grounded, Disabled Boats
Two more rescues occurred the following day, USCG said. In the morning, Coast Guard Station Monterey crew members heard a diver’s distress whistle near the station’s pier. The crew rescued the diver before emergency medical services arrived on scene.
That afternoon, a 21-foot boat became disabled in the vicinity of Baker Beach in San Francisco. The Coast Guard utilized a 47-foot Motor Life Boat to tow the boat with four people aboard to safety.
On the afternoon of 17 November, five people were rescued from their 24-foot boat that became disabled 1 mile west of Point Reyes National Seashore’s Kehoe Beach.
The Coast Guard responded to a second rescue that same afternoon after a 25-foot boat became disabled 20 miles west of Point Reyes. Three people were rescued in the second incident, USCG said.
Coast Guard Rescues 2 Boaters, Dogs off Maryland
11/14/24 – Baltimore, MD
Coast Guard crews rescued two boaters and their two dogs after their 31-foot sailboat ran aground south of Fleeton Point, Maryland, on 14 November.
The boaters and their dogs were hoisted by an Air Station Atlantic City MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew and brought to emergency services at Naval Air Station Patuxent River. No major injuries were reported. The owner was developing a salvage plan for the grounded vessel.
‘We Had to Act Fast’: Coast Guard
“When we got word that a vessel was aground and breaking apart, we knew we had to act fast,” said Lt. Cmdr. Erin Palmer, search and rescue mission coordinator at Sector Maryland - National Capital Region. “Our crews train constantly for these types of incidents and last night that training paid off.”
Sector Maryland – National Capital Region issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast Notice to mariners, deployed assets in response, and coordinated with several local agencies to render assistance to the mariners. The Dolphin helicopter aircrew and a Coast Guard Station St. Inigoes 29-foot Response Boat-Small boat crew arrived on scene and were able to make contact with the sailing vessel.
The aircrew conducted a successful hoist operation, safely recovering the two people and two dogs on the aground vessel. The helicopter aircrew then transported the boaters to awaiting emergency services.
Three Duck Hunters Rescued After Canoe Capsizes
11/17/24 – Chardon, OH
Three capsized duck hunters were saved early morning on 17 November by the Fire Departments of Chardon and Munson, Ohio.
According to a Fire Department post on Facebook, two squads and an engine responded to a capsized canoe with three hunters who had gone overboard on foggy Lake Aquilla.
Chardon Fire said Munson Fire’s boat was summoned to bring the “duckless hunters” back to shore. One hunter was taken by Chardon rescue for evaluation.
Man, Dog Rescued from Sailboat in Stormy Conditions
11/19/24 – Vancouver, WA
A man and his dog were rescued from a sailboat on the Columbia River on the night of 19 November, after the pair struggled to get off the boat in stormy conditions.
According to the Fire Department in Vancouver, Washington State, callers to 911 reported about 6:30 p.m. that there was a boater in distress at the Marine Park Boat Launch on the Columbia River east of the I-5 Bridge. Callers said a man and his dog were unable to get close enough to the dock to be able to safely get off the boat.
Rescue Swimmer Deployed for ‘Technical’ Rescue
When firefighters arrived, they saw a 32-foot sailboat was tied to a very unsteady dock, according to the agency. The fire crew tried to help, but the boat was too far from the dock. The fire crew then called Vancouver Fire Boat 1, hoping the fire boat could push the sailboat to the dock, but the storm made this too dangerous.
A rescue swimmer was able to reach the sailboat and then got the man and his dog onto the fire boat. “This was a very technical maneuver by Vancouver Fire Boat crew. The Fire Department spend a lot of time and effort to train for these very situations and tonight that training paid off,” according to an agency statement.
The rescue required a battalion chief, two fire engines, a truck company, and Vancouver Fire Boat 1, with a total of 14 firefighters. There were no injuries reported.
Teen Brothers Save Duck Hunters After Boat Sinks
11/16/24 – Nevis, MN
Two 17-year-old twin brothers from Nevis, Minnesota, were credited with saving three people and their dog out of a sinking boat on a local lake.
The group had gone out duck hunting on First Crow Wing Lake when their boat sank and they were unable to swim to shore. Darcy Gagnon, a recently retired State Patrol officer, was working when she received a call about a duck hunting trip gone wrong near her house.
“The report that we got is there were three hunters in the boat, no life jackets, and their boat was sinking,” said Mark Gagnon, Darcy’s husband and the father of the teens.
“When you have a lot of gear and a lot of people, boats don’t like to float very well,” said 17-year-old JT Gagnon. Not only did the boat sink, but the passengers were unable to make it to shore due to the unstable lake bottom. Gagnon immediately called her husband and two 17-year-old sons.
Teens Got Boaters ‘Onto Land Safely, Unharmed’
“We got woken up by our dad saying that someone that was sunken in the lake – duck hunters,” said 17-year-old Will Gagnon. “And the nearest police boat, the fire department boat was about a half hour to an hour away and we were the closest to the situation. So, we went out, put the boat in the water, and tried to rescue these people.”
The boys had been hunting on the lake for years and knew exactly where the access point was, even though it was hard to get to. “It’s in a big waterfall management area and not really on the maps,” explained Mark. “Unless you’re familiar with the access points to look at the county map and find it, I don’t think you’re going to find the trails and these access points.”
“He got them into the boat,” said Will, gesturing towards JT, “and onto land safely and unharmed.” Once they made it to shore, the hunters were handed over to first responders, who were eventually able to make it to the scene.
No one was harmed during the entire incident. And the boys’ reward for saving everyone? As with other 17-year-olds, it was simply time to go to school.
Boat Catches Fire, Sinks on Lake of the Ozarks
11/19/24 – Osage, MO
A boat burned and sank at the Lake of the Ozarks’ 51 Mile Marker on the afternoon of 19 November, leaving the boat’s operator swimming for safety.
According to Gravois Fire Protection District Chief Dustin Hancock, the operator of the 31-foot Sea Ray had been driving the boat on the main channel of the Lake of the Ozarks when he heard a pop and saw smoke. The incident happened at around 1 p.m.
The boater jumped into the water and began swimming toward the shore; he was helped out of the water by a homeowner in the area. According to the Ameren power company, the current water temperature of the lake is a chilly 63 degrees.