Smith Point Sea Rescue (SPSR) vice president Jim Bullard reported crews recently responded to the following calls for assistance:
August 4: At 11 a.m., the Northumberland County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) called and asked Sea Rescue to help find a boat reported to be disabled and adrift south of Smith Point Light. Rescue 1 with a crew of five departed Reedville and motored to the location where they found the boat under tow. Time on call, 1.5 hours.
August 4: At 11:35 a.m., the captain of a 20-foot runabout reported he was dead in the water in the Potomac River off Bay Quarter Shores. Rescue 3 was dispatched from Olverson’s Marina with a crew of two, and located the vessel at the latitude and longitude provided by the captain. The boat was towed to the owner’s dock on the Glebe. Time on call, 3 hours.
August 13: At 10 a.m., a waterfront resident on Chesapeake Beach reported two boys in the water holding on to a small overturned sailboat. In rough seas, Rescue 1 and 2 found the sailboat had been driven up on the riprap and that the boys were safe ashore. Recovery of the sailboat was completed from land. Time on call, 1 hour.
August 16: At 11 a.m., the captain of a 23-foot center console reported his fuel pump had failed; he and two passengers were adrift between Smith Point Light and the Jetties. Rescue 1 with a crew of four was dispatched from Reedville and towed the vessel into Smith Point Marina for repairs. Time on call, 2 hours.
August 16: At 11 p.m., the NCSO received a call from the captain of a 30-foot sailboat with three aboard that had gone aground as it attempted to reach Ingram Bay Marina on the Great Wicomico. Rescue 1 with a crew of four pulled the sailboat free and escorted it to the docks at the Crazy Crab, where it spent the night. Time on call, 2 hours.
August 18: At 11:45 a.m., a Burgess resident called to report the engine on his 19-foot skiff had failed near Glebe Point on the Great Wicomico River. Rescue 1 responded with a crew of four and towed the boat to Buzzard’s Point Marina for repairs. Time on call, 2 hours.
August 20: At 4 p.m., the captain of a 24-foot sailboat reported he was hard aground on the Fleeton sandbar near Buoy 4 in the Great Wicomico. Sea Rescue scrambled both Rescue 1 and the shallow-water Rescue 2 with five crewmen. Rescue 2 carried a tow line from Rescue 1 to the sailboat. Rescue 1 then freed the sailboat and towed it to Buzzard’s Point Marina for repairs. Time on call, 2 hours.
August 30: At 3:30 p.m., a Reedville resident reported his battery was dead and he was adrift in his 18-foot bowrider near Buoy 11 in the Great Wicomico River. Rescue 1 was dispatched with a crew of five and they jump-started the battery, then followed the boater back to his trailer at Shell Landing. Time on call, 1 hour.
August 31: At 7:30 p.m., the NCSO received a 911 call from the captain of an 18-foot center console with three aboard that was dead in the water in the mouth of Cockrell Creek. He asked for a tow to his home in shallow Whays Creek. Rescue 2 with a crew of three was dispatched and towed him home. Time on call, 1 hour.
Smith Point Sea Rescue is a totally volunteer rescue unit which serves boaters from Coles Point to the mouth of the Potomac River, south to the Rappahannock River and across the Chesapeake Bay to the Eastern Shore. The organization receives no governmental monetary support and depends solely on donations to fund its operations.
Smith Point Sea Rescue can be reached on channel 16 or by calling 911. Rescue 1 and Rescue 2 are based in Reedville and Rescue 3 and 4 are on Lodge Creek near Callao.
