09-09-13 LA JOLLA, CA Boat found at sea unmanned and going in circles after dog swims to shore A man's dog that swam to shore started a search by the USCG for his master who is still reported missing at sea on Wed. (09-11). Loren Ruden, 52, from Oceanside had taken his boat "Lucky Dog," and his dog Sadie out boating off the coast of La Jolla in San Diego on Mon. (09-09). The dog was found in the ocean trying to climb up on surfboards by surf instructor Erik Krammer. "The dog swam up. It was frantic and desperate from being in the water for quite a time," Krammer said. Luckily, Sadie had her collar with a tag with her owner's phone number on it and Krammer called. Ruden's wife answered and then called the police to report her husband missing. "We don't know at this point how the dog got back or how far he may have had to swim," USCG Petty Officer Connie Gawrell said. The CG crew of a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter found Ruden's boat doing donuts in the middle of the ocean early Tue. morning (09-10). A few hours later they were deciding whether to board the boat or wait till it ran out of fuel. Later in the day, a boat crew with a federal maritime agency pulled alongside the boat and boarded it and turned off the engine. The vessel was towed back to shore and upon investigating the boat they discovered that one of the lifejackets on the boat was missing. Ruden is a father of 3 grown children and loves to fish and runs commercial fishing charters. Three helicopters and the CG Cutter Edisto have been searching for Ruden but so far he has not been found. " Read full story here.
09-10-13 GEORGETOWN COUNTY, SC Conway woman drowns in Georgetown County boating incident A Conway woman died Tue. (09-10) when the boat she and her husband were on capsized in Georgetown Co., according to the USCG in Charleston. An autopsy performed Wed. (09-11) showed Delores Jones, 66, drowned, according to Georgetown Co. Coroner Kenneth Johnson. He said the autopsy found no signs of trauma or foul play. A CG boat from Georgetown was on routine patrol when it found the couple’s vessel about 11 a.m., Lt. Commander Derek Beatty said. The pair was fishing in an 18-ft. boat anchored near the lighthouse in Winyah Bay. Beatty said the anchor line got caught in the propeller and when the man lifted the engine the boat capsized. Beatty said the man got trapped under the boat, but his wife was on the outside. “By the time he got out, he couldn’t find her,” he said. Multiple boats and crews responded to the scene, and Jones’ body was recovered within 20 min. Neither were wearing lifejackets.Read full story here.
Alaska State Troopers have gathered more information in the investigation of a Tue. (09-10) boating accident near Dillingham that claimed the life of one Aleknagik man. Trooper officials now report the accident occurred around 5:30 p.m. on Aleknagik Lake near the boat launch area, involving 2 boats. David Taylor, 61, of Hawaii, was operating his 22-ft. Wooldridge boat between the narrows of North and South shores, when John Tugtuk Sr., 41, of Aleknagik, in his 16-ft. Lund collided with Taylor’s boat. Through its investigation the dept. revealed Tugatuk was operating his boat with his back turned to the bow of the vessel while Taylor was approaching the launch area. According to Troopers officials, the front of Tugatuk’s vessel hit Taylor’s boat while Tugatuk’s back was turned.
Tugatuk, a former National Guard member, was taken to a local hosp. where he later died due to injuries he sustained in the collision. The investigation is ongoing, and at this time troopers officials report drugs and alcohol do not appear to have contributed to the accident. Troopers report there were no other injuries. Read full story here.
09-06-12 DEMOPOLIS, AL Teens unhurt in boating accident Friday A boat capsized near Demopolis Lock and Dam last Fri. night (09-06), marking the 2nd accident in that area within a week. According to DPD Lt. Rex Flowers, two 18-y/o’s were fishing near the rocks below the dam when the current started pushing their boat into the rocks. “They were fishing near the rocks and they turned the boat off,” he said. “The strong current pushed the boat up against the rocks, and they couldn’t get the boat started again.” Flowers said the current kept pushing them into the rocks until their boat flipped. Neither of the occupants of the boat sustained major injuries. Flowers said they only had minor scratches. The Demopolis Police Department received the call around 8:19 p.m. Fri.
Earlier in the week, a boater went over the dam, where he was stranded on the rocks below the dam for several hours before being rescued.Read full story here.
09-07-13 GREENWOOD, SC Two injured in weekend boating accidents Two separate boating accidents on Lake Greenwood over the weekend left 2 people injured, according to officials with the S.C. DNR. The first accident occurred at about 10 p.m. Sat. evening (09-07). Officials said that a Ninety Six couple was in a boat that struck a retaining wall near a landing in Cross Hill. The male passenger, Orville Burton, was cited for improper lookout and the woman was taken to Self Regional Med. Center by Greenwood Co. EMS with a broken collar bone, officials said.
The 2nd incident occurred at about 4 p.m. Sun. afternoon (09-08) near the lower train trestle On Lake Greenwood, officials said. A boat and a jet ski were involved in a collision. The person piloting the jet ski was transported to Self Regional Med. Center for treatment of unknown injuries. Officials said the accident was still under investigation because DNR investigators had not been able to speak with the person piloting the jet ski as of Tue. morning (09-10).Read full story here.
Alaska State Troopers say they responded to the call around 12:03 p.m. and located the capsized boat 10 mi. up the Talkeetna River. Troopers say the 2 boaters were wet, had no gear and had suffered minor injuries. Troopers say Robert Miller, 37, of Palmer, and Willy Rumbo, 40, of Wasilla were located on a nearby island and transported to the Talkeetna Boat Launch where they we treated and released by EMS.
Miller and Rumbo were returning from a hunting trip when their boat struck a log and capsized. Read full story here.
Three men were rescued from the waters off Scarborough on Wed. morning (09-11) after their 17-ft. boat capsized. Donald Webster called the USCG at 10:45 a.m. to report that his center-console boat was without power about 2 1/2 mi. off Pine Point. The CG issued an urgent marine broadcast asking boaters in the area to go to the men's assistance and dispatched a rescue boat. Winds were from the north at 15 kts. and seas were 2 ft. As the 3 men worked in the stern trying to get the motor started, a wave broke over the transom, and the additional water weighed down the stern, said David Corbeau, Scarborough's harbormaster and a member of the water rescue team. Without power, the men couldn't face into the waves to minimize their effect or to drain the boat. Fifteen min. after the first call, the group notified the CG they were taking on water. The boat soon capsized. The 3 had put on life jackets and were clinging to the hull while waiting for help. Water rescue crews were dispatched from the Saco-Biddeford, Old Orchard Beach and Scarborough FDs, in addition to the CG, said Petty Officer Kurt Hein. The location of the boat was not clear, however, and rescue boats initially searched an area nearer to shore than where the men were eventually found, on the Cape Elizabeth side of Stratton Island. He said rescue crews would have eventually expanded the search area and found the men, but John Gilman and Ricky Googins, 2 Pine Point lobstermen, were checking traps in the area and spotted the overturned hull. They pulled the 3 out of the water about 11:45 a.m. and transferred them to the Scarborough rescue boat.
"They were in the water quite a while," Corbeau said. The men were checked for hypothermia, but were uninjured other than a few cuts from clinging to the hull and some missing shoes. Read full story here.
09-11-13 BEAUFORT, SC Coast Guard rescues three from boat near Beaufort The USCG has rescued 3 people from a commercial fishing boat that capsized in Beaufort Co. The CG office in Charleston says the 15-ft. boat capsized in St. Helena Sound around noon Wed. (09-11). A helicopter from Charleston arrived and was able to hoist the 3 people aboard. The crew members were flown to Johns Island Executive Airport, where they met their family members. No one was hurt.
Officials say there is no indication of pollution from the overturned boat. The owner and operator of the boat are planning salvage operations.Read full story here.
09-11-13 FRENCHTOWN, MI Nine Rescued From Distressed Boat In Frenchtown Frenchtown FD responded to a water rescue call at Brest Bay Marina just before 7 p.m. Wed. night (09-11). Frenchtown Fire Chief Mark Nicholai said a 22-ft. boat experienced an electrical failure and began taking on water about a mile outside the marina. There were 9 people aboard the boat, ranging in age from 3 months to 33 years. All passengers were safely transferred into an FD rescue boat and no injuries were reported. Tom Tokarz and his wife Hazel Frost live across the river from the marina and witnessed the rescue. The couple said everyone rescued seemed calm as they made it to land. “People need to be reminded of how dangerous things can get and how quickly,” Mrs. Frost said. Chief Nicholai said the FD was concerned with fast approaching thunderstorms at the time of the rescue.Read full story here.
09-10-13 MUSKEEGON, MI 6 rescued from boat that ran aground in Muskegon Lake Firefighters helped 6 people, including 2 children, to shore late Tue. (09-10) after their small boat ran aground on a sandbar in Muskegon Lake. No one was injured. The 10:43 p.m. incident originally was reported as “a boat taking on water” near the B.C. Cobb Plant. Muskegon and N. Muskegon FD boats were dispatched to search for the 18-ft. pleasure craft. The boat was without lights, fire officials said, which made it difficult to locate. The boat was spotted about 11:05 p.m., NW of the power plant and roughly 50 yds. from shore. N. Muskegon's Boat 7 picked up the stranded boaters and brought them to Muskegon's Fisherman's Landing. It appeared all of them were wearing lifejackets. Muskegon Fire Battalion Chief Brad Vanderberg said the boaters apparently were “drift fishing” when they went aground. He said the boat operator was unable to start the craft's outboard motor afterward. “The lights were inoperable because the battery died,” Vanderberg said. Derrick Oakes, 41, of Muskegon, the boat's owner, said they had been fishing for about 1 ½ hrs. “It was nice when we went out, and then the wind blew us onto a sandbar,” he said. Firefighters estimated waves on the lake were 2-3 ft. when the incident was reported. The boat was left on the sandbar and was expected to be retrieved during daylight hrs. The USCG also responded to the scene.Read full story here.
09-09-13 MARCO ISLAND, FL Marco firefighters rescue 6 from boat overturned in Gulf A boat with 6 persons aboard overturned in the Gulf of Mexico approximately 18 mi. S. of the Caxambas Boat Ramp. With minimum communication capability and only a cellphone which worked intermittently a call was made to 911. With 4 adults and 2 teenagers in the water emergency personnel from Marco Island, Everglades City, the USCG from Ft. Myers and the Collier Co. Sheriff’s Marine Patrol were called into action and responded to the coordinates given to the 911 operator. The Marco Island Fire/Rescue was first on the scene of the overturned vessel and retrieved all 6 individuals, one of which was overtaken by the ingestion of salt water according to Deputy Chief Chris Bryne of Marco Island Fire-Rescue. “It was a difficult rescue due to the fact that they all had to be brought over the high “free-board” on the side of the boat, and with 6 exhausted and cold victims we were a little tight for space”, said Byrne. Upon return to the dock at Caxambas they were met by medical personnel and chose to return home locally rather than be transported to an area hospital.Read full story here.
As of 7:30 p.m. search and rescue teams were using sonar to search for the man. Five boats, 4 divers and at least a dozen total crew members were searching on the E. side of the reservoir between the dam and Cherry Glenn Boat Launch. Scattered thunderstorms were rolling into the area. Sgt. Brent Long, a Polk Co. Sheriff’s spokesman, said divers would stay out on the water, weather-permitting as long as there was light. If the man, who has not been identified, is not found, rescuers will pick up the search at first light.
Someone called 911 at about 5:25 p.m. after the man jumped off a pontoon boat and disappeared underwater.Read full story here.
According to the Windermere VFD, the fire broke out on a Chris-Craft powerboat near Ridge Marina.
Phyllis and Reay Culp, owners of Nibbler’s Float-Thru Grill, said they caught an up-close and personal glimpse of the fire. “We happened to be driving up toward the marina when we noticed a fire,” said Phyllis. “As we got a little closer, we noticed a beautiful wooden boat that we had seen earlier in the day on fire.” Reay, who is a former professional firefighter with Sylacauga FD, couldn’t ignore his instincts.
“Next thing I know, we are pulling up to the boat, and I thought ‘ Oh my gosh, we are about to go put out a fire,” Phyllis said. Phyllis said they tried extinguishing the blaze with several fire extinguishers, including all the ones that could be rounded up at the marina. When the fire extinguishers were exhausted, Phylllis said the makeshift fire brigade started taking turns dumping buckets on the blaze until firefighters arrived. Windermere VFD responded with 2 trucks and 7 firefighters and arrived to the scene late in the afternoon Sat. (09-07). “When we arrived a wooden-hull Chris-Craft powerboat was smoking heavily, and a gentleman was actually standing on it throwing water into the seating area with a bucket,” said Mike Arnold, incident commander at the scene for WVFD. “We shot water from our water cannon and doused the fire.” Arnold said at that point some employees from The Ridge Marina towed the boat to the bank with a PWC. The charred boat was loaded onto a trailer and taken out of the water. One individual was transported from the scene and taken to a helipad, where he was airlifted to a burn unit. The incident didn’t end there, however. A few hrs. later, Arnold said they received another call that the boat had reignited. “I went out and cut the battery cables and put some Type A foam throughout the whole boat, and that took care of it.” Arnold said he wasn’t sure whether there were any injuries resulting from the blaze. Though he admitted he was not a fire inspector, he speculated the fire was an electrical fire.
“It looked like it started in the bow of the boat, near the electrical panel,” Arnold said. “The stern of the boat was never fully involved, though the bow was completely involved.” Read full story here.