Smith Point Sea Rescue (SPSR) editor Brent Stansbury recently reported that crews responded to the following calls for assistance in August:
August 2: At 8:12 a.m., the Northumberland County Sherriff’s Office (NCSO) notified SPSR of a boat with white hull capsized in the Little Wicomico River, with no one in the area. Rescue I with a crew of four responded quickly and located the abandoned vessel. The SPSR duty captain recognized the boat name and called a local waterman, who responded he was aware of the problem and a salvage crew was enroute. “The crew encountered a rogue wave on the way to work,” he said. SPSR stood by to assist. Total time, 2.0 hours.
August 3: At 7:40 p.m., SPSR received a dispatch from NCSO for a “white Rinker boat with a blue Bimini top” in Ingram Bay. SPSR called the vessel and determined the 31-foot Rinker was near the entrance to Mill Creek and wanted to go to Ingram Bay Marina. The duty captain considered all possible options because night was approaching and the entrance to Mill Creek is shallow and tricky to navigate after dark. Moving quickly, Rescue III located the boat with three onboard and successfully towed it to the marina. Total time, 2.0 hours.
August 16: At 12:20 p.m., SPSR received a dispatch from NCSO that a 43-foot Viking Motor Yacht was out of fuel about a mile east of Smith Point. Rescue III responded with a crew of five and located the vessel with two aboard. SPSR gave the Viking crew all its containers of “rescue gasoline,” about 15 gallons. The Viking crew then said they hoped to fill up at Smith Point Marina. The duty captain made it clear that with low tide at the Little Wicomico Jetties, navigation to the Smith Point Marina was not possible for this deep draft boat. So, Rescue III towed the Viking to the mouth of the Great Wicomico, released her under her own power and “shadowed” the vessel to Buzzards Point Marina for gas. Total time, 2.0 hours.
August 16: At 1:25 p.m., SPSR received its second call of the day from NCSO, a 22-foot white Pioneer with three aboard had reported it was “out of fuel” in Ingram Bay. Sea Rescue quickly assembled a second crew. Shallow-water Skiff A was deployed and quickly arrived alongside at the Pioneer. The crew of Skiff A concluded the vessel’s problem was not just lack of fuel, so it towed the Pioneer to Shell Landing for haul out. Total time, 1.0 hours.
August 16: At 1:45 p.m., SPSR received a third call, a 30-foot Mainship in Ingram Bay had experienced electrical problems and needed assistance. SPSR contacted the Mainship captain and determined they were not in any immediate danger. The vessel was asked to deploy an anchor and told SPSR would return to help. Rescue III completed the earlier mission with the Viking and returned to the Mainship, which had two people aboard. SPSR was not able to fix the electrical issue and so towed it to the owner’s pier, near Shell Landing. Total time, 1.5 hours.
August 17: At 7:17 p.m., NCSO alerted SPSR that a 40-foot sailboat had run aground on the Fleeton Point Bar and that a TowBoatU.S. vessel on scene had requested assistance because the sailboat’s master was assessed as having had a potential stroke. SPSR responded with Rescue III, a crew of four and members of the NCSO and Northumberland County EMS. Rescue III arrived on scene to learn TowBoatU.S. had a line on the sailboat and the sailboat’s master was refusing medical assistance. SPSR remained on scene to assist as needed and escorted both vessels back to safe harbor in advance of a looming storm. Total Time: 2.5 hours.
Smith Point Sea Rescue is a volunteer rescue unit that serves boaters on the Potomac River and its tributaries from Coles Point to Smith Point, across the Chesapeake Bay to Smith and Tangier islands, and south to Windmill Point. 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 on Lodge Creek near Callao.
