Smith Point Sea Rescue vice president Jim Bullard reported crews recently responded to the following calls for assistance.
August 12: At 10 a.m., the captain of a 23-foot Sea Pro center console reported he was out of fuel and adrift in the middle of the Chesapeake Bay. Rescue 1 was dispatched from Reedville with three crewmen and located the boat with two aboard just north of buoy red 62. The crew provided the captain with 10 gallons of gasoline then escorted the boat back to Ingram Bay Marina. Time on call, 2 hours
August 12: At 7:15 p.m., the captain of a 54-foot Hatteras yacht called to report he was in rough seas and both of his engines had failed. The boat was traveling down the Potomac River from Washington, D.C., for Deltaville when it encountered a storm. It appeared that the rough seas had stirred up sediment in the fuel tanks which clogged the fuel filters.
Rescue 3 departed from Olverson’s Marina with a crew of four and fought building seas to locate the yacht dead in the water off Coles Point. With deteriorating weather, winds gaining to 50 mph and approaching nightfall the Sea Rescue crew asked the captain to anchor down and ride out the storms with agreement that Rescue 3 would return in the morning. Communication with the captain was maintained throughout the night. Time on call, 3 hours
August 13: The following morning in calm seas Rescue 3 returned to the yacht where the captain advised that he had called his insurance company and contracted with a commercial towing company to tow his boat all the way to Deltaville. Rescue 3 stood by until the yacht was safely under tow. Time on call, 2.5 hours
August 17: At 3:45 p.m., the captain of a 23-foot Gulfstream Grady White reported his engine had failed and he was adrift in the Potomac River near buoy #9. Rescue 3 was dispatched with a crew of four, located the boat with two aboard and towed it back to Olverson’s for repairs. Time on call, 2 hours
August 22: At 9 a.m., a crew of four on Rescue 1 towed an inoperable pontoon boat from Bridge Creek to Smith Point Marina for repairs. Time on call, 1.5 hours
August 25: At 9:10 a.m., a homeowner on Whay’s Creek called Smith Point Sea Rescue and reported that his 18-foot Cobia outboard had sunk and flipped at his dock. A crew of six Sea Rescue members brought a portable gas pump and were able to right and pump out the boat, then tow it to a nearby ramp. Time on call, 2 hours
August 26: At 9:30 a.m., the captain of a 42-foot cabin cruiser with two aboard reported his engine had failed as he approached Reedville in Cockrell Creek. Rescue 1 was dispatched with five aboard, located the boat and towed it to the docks at the Crazy Crab Restaurant. Time on call, 1 hour
August 27: At 3:10 p.m., the captain of a 22-foot center console called the Northumberland County Sheriff’s Office and reported his engine had failed and he needed help. Rescue 1 departed Reedville with four crew and located the boat with one man and one dog aboard. The crew towed the boat back to the owner’s home near Virmar Beach. The water near the man’s home was too shallow for Rescue 1 so the crew loaned the man a paddle and watched as he paddled his boat ashore. Time on call, 4 hours
August 27: At 12:45 p.m., the captain of a 35-foot sailboat called for assistance on VHF Channel 16. He reported that he was sailing in the bay southeast of Point Lookout when the wind died, then his engine would not start. Rescue 3 was dispatched from Olverson’s with a crew of three. They located the sailboat with two aboard and towed it to Point Lookout Marina up Smith Creek in Maryland. Time on call, 4 hours
Smith Point Sea Rescue can be reached on channel 16 or by calling 911. Rescue 1 and 2 are based on the Great Wicomico River and Rescue 3 is on Lodge Creek off the Yeocomico River.
