Smith Point Sea Rescue (SPSR) editor Dan Morissette recently reported crews responded to the following calls for assistance in July 2024:
July 4: At 9:45 a.m., Sea Rescue received a call that a 22-foot Renken power boat had suffered engine failure in the Yeocomico River. Rescue II responded with a crew of three, located the boat at Barn Point and towed it to Olverson’s Lodge Creek Marina for haul out and repairs. Time on call: 1.5 hours.
July 5: At 1:30 p.m., the Northumberland County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) alerted Sea Rescue that a skiff with three aboard overturned on the Fleeton Point Bar. Rescue I responded, accompanied by a member’s personal skiff with additional crew. SPSR located the overturned skiff and three young adults standing in the breaking surf on the bar. After an hour and a half fighting winds, surf and a falling tide, Sea Rescue was unable to upright or tow the overturned skiff off the bar. The three young adults were returned to Shell Landing by a local boater, while Rescue I and the member’s skiff returned to base. The overturned boat remained on the bar and the owner was advised to contract a salvager. It is a reminder that while Sea Rescue is always “there when needed,” not all missions end happily. Time on call: 2 hours.
July 13: At 2:15 p.m., the NCSO reported to SPSR that a power boat had sunk at its dock in the Little Wicomico. Rescue I responded with pumps, come-alongs, a ladder, rags and a full crew. They located a 22-foot Sportcraft with its stern on the bottom and its bow held up by mooring lines. The crew raised the stern with the come-along and pumped the boat dry. Rescue I towed the boat to a nearby marina and loaded it onto a trailer for haul out and clean up. Heavy rains, clogged scuppers and a dead battery led to the sinking. Time on call: 1.45 hours.
July 14: At 2:45 p.m., NCSO reported to SPSR that a motorboat had lost power near the mouth of Ingram Bay. Rescue III with a crew of five responded from Reedville and located a 24-foot Crownline wake boat with four passengers on board, one mile north of Buoy 4 in the Chesapeake Bay. Attempts to restart the vessel’s engine failed so the boat was towed to Ingram Bay Marina for repairs. Time on call: 1.5 hours.
July 16: At 10:15 a.m., the NCSO alerted SPSR that a 29-foot power boat had run aground in the mouth of Ingram Bay. Rescue III responded, accompanied by Skiff A in case it was needed to carry a tow line into shallow water. Skiff A located the single-handed boat lightly aground on Fleeton Point Bar and towed it to deeper water to continue its journey. Time on call: 1.25 hours.
July 20: At 3 p.m. SPSR received a VHF 16 call from a boat with engine problems three miles off the Smith Point jetties. Rescue I with a crew of five responded from the Little Wicomico through the jetties at high tide. In rough and rainy conditions, SPSR located a Baltimore-bound 37-foot Carver cruiser near the P1 buoy in the Potomac River with dead engines. Sea Rescue took the boat in tow to Smith Point Marina for repairs. Time on call: 2 hours.
July 27: At 11 a.m., NCSO contacted SPSR to report that a 31-foot Grady White was stuck on a sand bar at the mouth of Cockrell Creek. Rescue III with a crew of three responded from Reedville, accompanied by Skiff A with a crew of two aboard for shallow water operations. The crews located the boat hard aground on the Fleeton Point Bar. Skiff A took the tow line to the boat and Rescue III pulled the Grady White free of the bar, enabling it to proceed on its way. Time on call: 1.25 hours.
Smith Point Sea Rescue is a volunteer rescue unit that serves boaters in Virginia and Maryland waters, on the Potomac River from Coles Point to Smith Point, and the Chesapeake Bay from Point Lookout south to the Rappahannock River, across to Smith and Tangier islands. The organization receives no regular governmental monetary support, depending solely on donations.
Smith Point Sea Rescue does not charge for its services and can be reached on VHF channel 16 or by calling 911. Rescue I, Rescue III and Rescue Skiff A are based in Reedville; Rescue II and Rescue Skiff B are on Lodge Creek near Callao.
