04-26-13 OLYMPIA, WA Sailboat blaze doused at West Bay Marina A sailboat caught fire Fri. night (04-26) at West Bay Marina in Olympia, causing an estimated $75,000 in damage. Olympia firefighters were called to the marina at 5:41 p.m. to find a 26-ft. sailboat on fire. The only person aboard had already evacuated by the time crews arrived. Firefighters extended hoses about 700 ft. from the shore to the dock to reach the fire and were able to contain the flames before they spread to neighboring boats or the dock. The boat did not sink. The cause of the fire was under investigation.
Three Olympia fire engines, a ladder truck, a command unit and engines from Thurston Co. Fire District 9 and Tumwater Fire District responded. Crews stayed at the scene as a precaution overnight. There were no signs of flammable liquids or oil being released into the water. Read full story here.
04-26-13 BOURNE, MA 3 teens take unplanned swim when canoe overturns Three teenagers took an unintended dip Fri. evening (04-26) when their canoe overturned in Flax Pond. The vessel flipped about 100 ft. from the shore just before 5 p.m., said Bourne Deputy Fire Chief Skip Kingsbury. One of the teenagers swam to shore, but the other 2 remained with the boat, one of them unable to swim. The 2 were rescued by boat after being in the water for about 15 min., Kingsbury said. All 3 were evaluated and did not need further medical attention. “In the cold water – you can be a good swimmer – it’s a whole new world,” he said.Read full story here.
04-24-13 HARFORD COUNTY, MD Two rescued after canoe capsizes on the Bush River Wednesday Two people were rescued from the Bush River in southern Harford Co. late Wed. (04-26) after their canoe capsized, the Harford Fire & EMS Assoc. said. A call for a boat rescue was dispatched at 5 p.m. by Harford Co. emergency radio. According to the monitored broadcast, 2 people were in the water of the Bush River between Church Creek E. of Aberdeen and the Amtrak Railroad bridge that crosses the river linking Perryman and Edgewood. Read full story here.
04-26-13 PROVINCETOWN, MA Kayak capsizes in P-town; no one injured Three people were taken ashore Fri. evening (04-26) after rescue crews responded to a report of a capsized kayak near the West End breakwater, according to Provincetown police. Crews responded around 5 p.m. and found a kayak “upright and floating” with a woman and child inside, according to a Provincetown police press release. A 2nd kayak was found nearby, but that one was sunk next to a woman standing chest-high in water. All 3 were taken ashore and evaluated by EMS crews. None of the people reported injuries, and they declined to go to the hospital. Read full story here.
04-19-13 DES PLAINES, IL Man Rescued from Des Plaines River after Kayak Capsizes Des Plaines firefighters rescued a man from the Des Plaines River after the kayak he was paddling capsized on Fri. (04-19), according to a report from Fire Chief Alan Wax. A witness reported the man in the river shortly after 11 a.m., Wax stated, and he was found clinging to a tree trunk in the river. The man was not injured. “It was our understanding that he was previously helping folks with his boat prior to traveling toward the main river via Campground Road,” Wax stated. “The safety lesson is that the river’s current is extremely fast and dangerous,” Wax stated.
04-27-13 LAKE HAVASU, AZ Man severs leg on boat propeller at Lake Havasu A 52-y/o man severed part of his leg after he slipped off a boat and fell into its propellers on Sat. (04-27). Mohave Co. Sheriff's deputies say 63-y/o Glenn Hatch was pulling his 42-ft. twin engine Fountain Boat up to the N. boat ramp at Lake Havasu to drop off some passengers. One of his passengers, Stuart Boeg, stepped to the back of the boat as they were pulling up and slipped into the water where the propellers were. Deputies say a propeller cut Boeg's leg off at the shin. Passengers onboard the boat pulled Boeg back up and tied a dock line around his leg for a tourniquet. Boeg was taken to a local hosp. and later airlifted to a university med. center in Las Vegas, Nevada. Lake Havasu City firefighters dived into the water and retrieved the severed leg. Deputies are still investigating the accident, but alcohol isn't believed to be a factor.Read full story here.
04-29-13 VALLEJO, CA Off-duty SF deputy found dead in bay An off-duty San Francisco sheriff's deputy was found dead in San Pablo Bay on Mon. (04-29), several hours after his boat was seen drifting off Vallejo. The body of Michael Roberts, 56, of Hercules was discovered about 3 p.m. by a boater near the Vallejo Municipal Marina. Preliminary indications are that Roberts died accidentally, investigators said. An autopsy will be conducted to determine the cause. Roberts hadn't been seen since his 26-ft. pleasure boat was found adrift near the Vallejo Municipal Marina about 6:45 a.m. Roberts did not work Sun. (04-28) and was not scheduled to work Mon. He had been fishing from the boat, and his cell phone was found onboard, said USCG Lt. Heather Lampert. The CG, Vallejo police and Solano Co. sheriff's deputies searched the area with the help of divers. Read full story here.
04-26-13 BAY CITY, MI Coast Guard gives ticket for operating under the influence after towing boat from Saginaw Bay The USCG assisted 2 people that were in a disabled boat near the entrance to the Saginaw River and also issued a federal ticket due to suspected boating under the influence on Fri. (04-26). About 11:15 p.m., the CG was notified of a disabled boat that was adrift with 2 people aboard. A boat crew launched from CG Station Saginaw River in Essexville aboard a 24-ft. Special Purpose Craft-Shallow Water to assist the boaters. The rescue crew towed the disabled boat to a boat ramp at a nearby Michigan DNR site. The rescue boat crew, which is also a law enforcement team, conducted a routine pos Search and Rescue boarding and the boarding officer detected the scent of an alcoholic beverage on the boaters. The CG administered 4 field sobriety tests, which the boater failed. The boater's blood alcohol content was determined to be above the legal BAC of .08 percent. CG Sector Detroit initiated the process to give the boater a federal ticket. Read full story here.
04-29-13 NEW YORK, NY 2 crew members rescued from boat that got stuck on sandbar in New York Harbor Jersey City firefighters helped 2 people to safety from a 35-ft. sailing boat that tipped on its side after getting got stuck on a sandbar roughly 500 ft. from the Statue of Liberty in New York Harbor, Jersey City Fire Director Armando Roman said. Two FD boats, Marine I and Marine II, responded just before 3 p.m. to assist crew of the boat The Alegre, which got stuck in shallows near Liberty State Park. Firefighters were unable to get onto the listing boat to perform a rescue and had to get into the water to rescue the 2 people on board. The boat was towed to Lincoln Harbor Marina. Roman said that there are no reported injuries. Read full story here.
04-27-13 SAN FRANCISCO, CA Four rescued from burning boat near Candlestick Point Four men trapped on a burning boat in the San Francisco Bay were saved moments before it became engulfed in flames. The men, out fishing on Sat. (04-27), ended up trapped on their burning boat about ¾ mi. out from Candlestick Point. And reaching them wasn't easy. The boat's owner said he doesn't know why it burst into flames; he's only glad rescue crews were able to save them quickly. Video shows the 21-ft. Sea Sprite fishing boat in flames near Candlestick Point. You can see 3 men on the bow of the boat attempting to stay away from the flames and smoke. One man was in the water. Bryan Gee, who owns the boat, said that at about 9:30 a.m. Sat. his engine began to sound funny.
"I killed the engine, then started it up again," Gee said. "As soon as I started it up, I heard this zap, poof. And next thing you know, flames." He says the flames and thick black smoke swept up through the boat quickly. They used a fire extinguisher with little result. Mike Dyslin was one of the people watching the drama from Oyster Point Sat. morning. He said, "Small boat and nowhere to go with a fire like that." The group's 911 call brought out the USCG and fire boats from S.San Francisco and SFO. But with the tide out, the water was too shallow for the fire boats to get close enough to put out the fire and other boats to reach the crew. The only rescue boat that could reach the stranded fishermen in the shallow water was Marine 7 of the San Francisco PD. The boat came alongside and plucked one man from the water as the other 3 jumped aboard. Sgt. Dan Greely and Officer Ken Bates operated the craft, which was at Hyde Pier when they got the call and rushed to the scene. "We have probably one of the fastest boats on the Bay and we're capable of getting into shallow water, so it's part of our Homeland Security unit," Sgt. Greely said.
The 4 men were brought ashore at Oyster Point in S.San Francisco, where fire and paramedic units were waiting. Three men were treated and released. One was taken to Kaiser Hosp. for smoke inhalation, but was later released. The boat was still slowly drifting and burning into the late afternoon, monitored by a S.San Francisco fire boat. Around 4 p.m. it was towed into Oyster Point, a total loss. Read full story here.
04-28-13 YOLO COUNTY, CA Man drowns in Sacramento River trying to free snagged boat A man drowned Sun, (04-28) after jumping from his boat into the Sacramento River. Emergency response teams were called to a stretch of the river near S. River Rd. and Bable Slough Rd. around 4:30 p.m., after the man jumped into the water and disappeared. Family members told rescue crews the 50-y/o man was fishing when his boat got snagged. He then jumped into the water to free the boat, surfaced several times, and then slipped out of sight for good. The Yolo Co. FD and Drowning Accident Rescue Team searched the river for several hrs. before locating the man's body Sun. evening. Firefighters said the man was not wearing a lifejacket at the time. Read full story here.
04-29-13 OSAGE COUNTY, KS Fishermen Survive Scare Of Capsized Boat It was a close call for 2 people fishing on a private lake Mon. afternoon (04-29). Osage Co. EMS says it received a call just before 3:30 pm that a boat had capsized on Beaver Tree Lake, S. of Carbondale. The pair was in the water for about 20 min. before neighbors, including an off-duty paramedic, heard them. They were able to get the 2 people out of the water before emergency responders arrived. Neither required medical treatment. They told paramedics they were fishing when their boat somehow overturned. Read full story here.
04-28-13 PORTSMOUTH, NH Two rescued after boat capsizes in Piscataqua River in Portsmouth Two boaters were rescued after their boat overturned in the Piscataqua River Sun. evening (04-28) by crew members of a lobster boat in the area. Portsmouth Fire Capt. Mike Hogan said a report of an overturned boat with 2 occupants came in at 6 p.m. to emergency crews in New Castle and Portsmouth. Hogan said the boat overturned in waters off the causeway between Portsmouth and New Castle near Route 1B. Portsmouth Fire sent an engine, a fire boat and an ambulance, but none were needed after a nearby lobster boat crew rescued the 2 people. A USCG officer said the incident was handled entirely by Portsmouth and New Castle. Hogan said he was informed that both individuals were cold, but OK.Read full story here.
04-29-13 SEA ISLE CITY, NJ Boat catches fire off the coast of Sea Isle City The New Jersey State Police are investigating an afternoon boat fire off the coast of Sea Isle City. A Minmar Marina operator was working on the boat around one o’clock Mon. afternoon (04-29) and when he took it out for a test run, the engine caught fire. Police say that he was rescued by a passing boater. The fire was put out without incident and no injuries were reported.Read full story here.
04-28-13 CORONA DEL MAR, CA Kayakers Rescued After Boat Flips Off CdM Orange Co. Sheriff’s Harbor Patrol rescued 2 kayakers Sun. afternoon (04-28) after their boat flipped over off Corona del Mar. Harbor Patrol officers received a call at 2:29 p.m. Sun. reporting a kayaker in distress about 1/4 mi. from shore and a mile S. of the harbor entrance. Rescuers found the kayakers, who were clinging to their overturned boat while 2 friends on another kayak tried to help. Sheriff’s officials helped all 4 kayakers onto a fire boat and then towed their boats to China Cove. The boaters were not injured.Read full story here.
04-26-13 HAVERHILL, MA Fisherman rescued after falling from his boat in Round Pond in Haverhill Roland Soucy planned to fish at Plug Pond Sun. (04-28). Instead, the 70-y/o Bradford resident cast his line in Round Pond, and helped save someone’s life. Soucy arrived around 7:50 for a morning of fishing. On the opposite shore, 27-y/o Josh Lowman was fishing, hoping to catch some of the trout the state had recently stocked. Then Soucy looked out to the middle of the pond, and saw a man in a boat also getting ready to fish. Soucy said, “Suddenly, he shifted around in his boat, tried to compensate, then his legs went up into the air and he fell into the water.” Soucy shouted to a man who’d just left his home near the boat ramp, telling him to call 911. The resident did so, and also got into his kayak to assist the floundering fisherman. At first Lowman thought the commotion in the water was a big fish. “When I looked I saw a boat go up in the air and guy in the water struggling to hold on,” said Lowman. The water was very cold and I didn’t think he could have held on for long.” While waiting for a rescue team to arrive, Soucy watched as the fisherman struggled to hold onto his boat, a roughly 8-ft.-long metal pram with a plastic seat and oars. The fisherman tried to pull himself back into his boat, but every time he did the opposite side of the boat tilted upwards and the boat filled with water. Less than 10 min. after the man fell in, a rescue team brought the man to shore safely in their rescue boat and wrapped him in a blanket. Deputy fire Chief Douglas Brown said the man wasn’t wearing a life preserver, but he did have one in his boat. He was cold and tired and was taken to Merrimack Valley Hosp. as a precaution. Read full story here.
04-28-13 DANVERS, MA Men Rescued After Boat Capsizes in Reservoir Two brothers out fishing on Sun. morning (04-28) are thankful they chose to put on lifejackets before heading out. Both brothers ended their fishing adventure with soaking wet clothes and lost their boat battery and a fishing pole but were otherwise OK. The canoe capsized at about 9 a.m. in the Putnamville Reservoir. Danvers Fire Chief Kevin Farrell said that firefighters launched the dept.’s Zodiak to assist in the rescue. One of the men swam as far as 1/2 mi. They were about 75 yds off the shore when firefighters arrived. They estimated the water temperatures on Sun. to be in the upper 40s or lower 50s. Read full story here.
04-29-13 HARTFORD, IL 2 bodies now recovered after boat capsized The bodies of 2 Missouri boaters are now recovered after the men went missing on the Mississippi River near Hartford in southern Illinois. Illinois conservation police said Mon. (04-29) that 46-y/o Wendell Robinson of Bellefontaine Neighbors, Missouri, was found Sun. (04-29) in the river at Cape Girardeau, Mo. The body of the other boater, 60-y/o Mike Flythe of St. Louis, was found April 21. Authorities say the men's boat capsized near where the Mississippi and Missouri rivers meet on April 6. Flythe's body was found about 15 mi. away from the accident scene. Robinson's body was missing for 22 days and found about 100 mi. away. One boy was rescued after the accident. Read full story here.