Blogs

07-15-13 ST. AUGUSTINE COUNTY, TX Sheriff releases details on boating accident at Lake Sam Rayburn The San Augustine sheriff has released details on a boating accident on Lake Sam Rayburn Mon. afternoon (07-15). Sheriff David Smith said Daniel White, 56, of Liberty, was apparently attempting to reach over the boat near San Augustine Park when a wave hit the boat and knocked him into the water. The motor was still running and the propeller struck him in the arm. Other boaters saw the accident and helped him out of the water and took him back to the bay. A medical helicopter came to the scene and took White to a Longview hosp. White is listed in good condition but suffered severe lacerations on his arm and bruised ribs. Read full story here.

07-20-13 TONOWANDA, NY Rescue crews at scene of boating accident off Niawanda Park in Niagara River Two people were injured Sat. night (07-20) after 2 boats collided on the Niagara River in the City of Tonawanda. Details were sketchy, but a male from 1 of the boats was transported to Erie County Med. Center, while a female from the other boat was taken to Kenmore Mercy Hosp., one City of Tonawanda fire official said late Sat. The boat crash happened at about 10:25. p.m. off Niawanda Park. There was quite a bit of damage to both boats. After the crash, one of the boats was doing loops in the water and ended up on the Grand Island side of the river near the Holiday Inn. Grand Island fire crews were searching the water to make sure there was no one else in the river. The other boat ended up on the Tonawanda side. Everyone from that vessel was accounted for. Two ambulances were called to the scene. Further information was unavailable. Read full story here. 

07-21-13 LINDQUIST, NY Coast Guard, local agencies respond to vessel collision in Long Island Sound USCG crews responded to a vessel collision in the State Boat Channel in Lindquist, N.Y. Sun. (07-21). A CG Sector Long Island Sound communications watchstander received notification from TOW Boat U.S. that a Good Samaritan reported a vessel collision with injuries and one boat taking on water. A response boat crew from CG Station Fire Island along with Suffolk Co. Marine crews responded to the recreational boating collision involving a 21-ft. Wellcraft with 2 people aboard and a 20-ft. Mako with 2 people aboard. The Good Samaritan on scene transferred 2 people onto their boat from the sinking vessel. Station Fire Island transferred 2 injured boaters to emergency response personnel on shore. TOW Boat U.S. began salvage operations to refloat the sunken Mako in order for Suffolk Co.Marine to investigate the cause of the collision. “We weren’t able to get our boat in close enough to transfer the injured boaters so the Good Samaritan  assisted us by transferring the injured personnel from his vessel onto ours,” said Petty Officer Second Dan Wishnoff. “On our transit in, we treated the boaters with first aid until we were able to transfer them to EMS.” The conditions of the injured boaters are not known and the cause of the vessel collision is under investigation by Suffolk County Marine. Read full story here. 

07-21-13 TOLLGATE, OR Man missing after canoe tips in E. Oregon Search crews were looking for a 51- y/o man whose canoe tipped into Jubilee Lake in the Umatilla National Forest. Union Co. sheriff's Sgt. Bill Miller says the man was canoeing Sun. (07-21) with a family friend at the popular recreation site north of Tollgate. He was identified as Jeffery Anspach. Read full story here. 

07-22-13 PORT TOWNSEND, WA 9 rescued from overturned canoe off Pt. Townsend Nine people were rescued from the chilly waters off Port Townsend after their canoe overturned Mon. (07-21). A passing cargo ship alerted the USCG that they could see 9 people in the water waving their arms. A 45-ft. CG response boat was dispatched and reached the 9, safely pulling them on board and taking them to the John Wayne Marina in Sequim. There, medics treated some of the victims for mild hypothermia. Read full story here. 

07-22-13 WHEATLAND, NY Man drowns when kayak overturns during outing with friends on western NY creek Authorities say a man has drowned after his kayak flipped over on a western NY creek during an outing with friends. The Monroe Co. Sheriff's Office tells local news outlets that the man was kayaking on Oatka Creek with 6 friends when his craft overturned around 8 p.m. Mon. (07-22) in the town of Wheatland, 15 mi. SW of Rochester. Deputies say the man was taken to Strong Memorial Hosp. in Rochester, where he was pronounced dead. The man's name hasn't been released. Read full story here. 

07-20-13 KENOSHA, WA 27-year-old man drowns after jumping from boat taking on water in Kenosha County A 27-y/o drowned after jumping from a boat taking on water on Lake Mary in far southern WI. According to the Twin Lakes Police Dept., officers responded at 4:25 p.m. Sat. (07-20) when several people were seen in distress on the north side of Lake Mary in western Kenosha Co. Police say a 7-y/o and a 10-y/o were struggling to stay above water but officers were able to pull them and a 37-y/o woman out. The man didn't resurface after he jumped in. A swimmer and water patrol officer later found him underwater. He was pronounced dead at a Burlington hosp. He has not been identified. Twin Lakes police and the DNR are investigating.
Read full story here. 

07-20-13 OLD LYME, CT Boat Capsizes On The Connecticut River in Old Lyme Old Lyme Police and Fire were able to rescue both passengers early Sat. morning (07-20). Sea Tow will be retrieving the boat. Old Lyme Police and Fire Depts. came to the rescue of a capsized boat on Sat. The initial call came in to Valley Shore Emergency Communications at 1:50 a.m. on July 20 reporting that a boat in Long Island Sound east of the Connecticut River had capsized and its occupants were in the water. Old Lyme Police and Fire Depts. responded in the 24-hour Patrol Rescue boat. With the aid of Sea Tow, Old Lyme Public Safety was able to locate the vessel in distress which had 2 occupants both of whom were wearing life vests when they were forced to abandon ship. The 2 people had been able to get onto another fishing vessel that was nearby. Old Lyme Police said an investigation revealed that the boat ran aground along the Old Lyme shore of the Connecticut River. The boat's two occupants were uninjured and were transported to the Dept. of Energy and Environmental Protection dock in Old Lyme. Read full story here. 

07-19-13 KAUAI, HI Boat capsizes after Kauai fisherman catches 230 pound ahi A 54-y/o Kauai man was rescued when his vessel capsized approximately 10 mi. SW of Kauai on Fri. The USCG Sector Honolulu received a distress call at 7:41 a.m. from the wife of fisherman Anthony Wichman, notifying watchstanders that her husband’s 14-ft. Livingston boat was capsized S of Port Allen, Kauai. Wichman was fishing in the area when he hooked a 230 pound ahi that subsequently capsized his boat. According to the CG, when his boat capsized, his leg was caught in the fishing line and he was dragged underwater. After freeing himself, he was able to get on top of the hull and call his wife for help. The CG was able to establish communication with Wichman via cell phone and launched a Motor Life Boat crew from CG Station Kauai and a helicopter from CG Air Station Barbers Point to the scene. When the crew arrived on scene, they found Wichman sitting on the hull of his partially submerged vessel. A CG rescue swimmer lowered to the water and hoisted Wichman into the helicopter. CG crews coordinated with officials at Lihue Airport and local emergency medical personnel to arrange for medical transport to Wilcox Memorial Hosp. The MLB crew stayed on scene with the capsized vessel until friends of Wichman with a vessel to help salvage his boat. While assessing the situation to determine if they could right the capsized vessel, Wichman’s friends realized that the ahi was still hooked on the fishing line attached the vessel. They were able to reel in the ahi, right the vessel and take it in tow back to Port Allen. Read full story here. 

07-17-13 CAMDEN COUNTY, MO Missouri boat explosion injures Sugar Land men Investigators in Camden Co., Mo., are trying to figure out what caused a boat to explode this week on Lake of the Ozarks, injuring two Sugar Land men. Allen Wienecke, 52, refueled his 1999 Starcraft boat at the 11 mi. marker at Davey Hollow Cove on Wed. morning (07-17), and when tried to restart the boat it exploded and caught fire, according to the Missouri State Highway Patrol. Wienecke was treated at the scene for minor injuries, while his son, Jonathen Wienecke, 20, suffered moderate injuries and was taken to Lake Regional Hosp.-Osage Beach. The incident remains under investigation. No other details were available. Read full story here. 

07-20-13 LAKE OF THE OZARKS, MO St. Louis man injured in boat collision Two boats collided just after midnight Sat. (07-20) at the Lake of the Ozarks, sending a St. Louis man to the hosp.  The Missouri Water Patrol says that 2 boats were traveling northbound in the Glaize Arm when one boat struck the other from behind. According to the Missouri Water Patrol, Denis Repa, 66, of St. Louis, was injured when he struck a 2nd boat driven by Jared Johnson of O’Fallon, MO. Repa was taken to an area hosp. for treatment. His boat was totaled. Johnson’s boat also sustained moderate damage. Read full story here. 

07-20-13 SEQUIM, WA 2 rescued from stranded boat near Sequim Two people were rescued from their 32-ft. boat that had beached on the Dungeness spit in Sequim early Sat. morning (07-20). The USCG called Clallam Co. Sheriff's deputies just before 1 a.m. Sat. after the Saratoga Passage became stranded on the spit, said Sgt. John Hollis with the Clallam Co. Sheriff's Office. CG boats were unable to reach the boat due to low tidal conditions, so with the help of the Dungeness lighthouse keeper and his off-road vehicle, rescuers were able to reach the boat. What they found was the Saratoga Passage parallel to the shoreline and violently shifting with each wave. But the rescuers were able to take the 80-y/o and 58-y/o Whidbey Island men off the boat to safety with no injuries. There is no word what caused the boat to go aground, but officials said alcohol use was not suspected. Read full story here. 

07-19-13 OUACHITA RIVER, LA Fisherman found dead, boat lodged in submerged treetop The body of a missing Sterlington man was recovered from the Ouachita River late Sat. (07-20), according to a LA Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries representative. Spokesman Scott Matthews of the LDWF said the body of Jeffrey Easter, 42, was found about 10:45 p.m. Easter’s Bass Tracker boat was found on the Ouachita River lodged in a submerged tree top by LDWF agents while on routine patrol late Fri. “It’s still a mystery as to what actually happened,” Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Capt. Dale Chelette said Sat. The Bass Tracker fishing boat was found near a point slightly N of the Ouachita Parish line in Morehouse Parish about a mi. N of Sterlington. Chelette said the water is about 40 ft. deep at that point. The search was expected to extend 200-300 yds. from the spot. A life vest was found in the driver’s seat of the boat with the “kill switch” still attached. The boat was operational but the engine had been turned off. The Bass Tracker boat was returned to the Sterlington dock. The Ouachita Parish Sheriff’s Office dispatched its dive team about 8:45 a.m. Sat. Easter is believed to have gone fishing about 3 p.m. Fri. His boat was discovered about 5:40 p.m. Fri. Matthews said the investigation is continuing and no foul play is suspected. Read full story here. 

07-19-13 OAK ISLAND, NC Boat sinks near Frying Pan Tower A 27-ft. May-Craft boat called "Designated Diver" began sinking with 6 passengers on board near Frying Pan Tower Fri (07-19) . The captain of the boat, who does not want to reveal his name, says the boat was taking 3 volunteers and 2 crew members 35 mi. out to sea to Frying Pan Tower. During the trip, the transom bracket on the back of the boat became separated, and the boat started taking on water. That's when the captain immediately made a distress call to the USCG. Petty Officer Norris with the CG Station Oak Island says a pump was dropped down to the vessel so the crew could pump water out of the boat. The passengers safely made it off the boat and to the tower, where they are staying through the weekend. The CG transported the captain back to safety by helicopter. The CG towed the Designated Diver to the Southport Marina. According to the captain, the boat is a total loss. No one was injured during the incident. Read full story here. 

07-21-13 LONG ISLAND SOUND, NY Suffolk County Cops Rescue Men From Sinking Boat On LI Sound Officers from the Suffolk Co. Police Marine Bureau have rescued 2 men from a sinking boat in the Long Island Sound. The officers heard a distress call at about 12:45 p.m. Sun. (07-21) and located the boat, a 16-ft. Bayliner. The boat was half-submerged and was about 1 ½ mi. off shore near Port Jefferson. Read full story here. 

07-19-13 PROVINCETOWN, MA Kelly Rowland Rescued After Private Boat Drifts Offshore The USCG says singer Kelly Rowland was among the passengers on a private boat escorted back to Cape Cod after the captain became disoriented. Lt. Ruairi White said that the boat's captain was following a commercial whale-watching vessel Friday, lost sight of the boat and became disoriented north of Provincetown. The CG directed a commercial towboat operator to escort the private vessel back to Provincetown. The boat was 33 miles north of Provincetown. The passengers were great. Just a little shook up.Read full story here. 

07-15-13 BROWARD COUNTY, FL Pompano man charged with boating under the influence A Pompano Beach man was charged with boating under the influence and aggravated battery after he was accused of ramming his boat into another vessel, the Broward Sheriff's Office said. Michael J. Gunther, 48, was on the Intracoastal Waterway in his blue and white Aquasport boat on Mon. night (07-15). Read full story here.