Smith Point Sea Rescue (SPSR) editor Brent Stansbury recently reported crews responded to the following calls for assistance in January through April:
January 16: SPSR received a call from Northumberland County Sheriff’s Office (NCSO) reporting “a 44-foot catamaran sailing vessel was in distress with fishing nets stuck in her props” near Smith Point. SPSR dispatched Rescue III with a crew of four from Cockrell Creek. SPSR enlisted the help of two “gill net watermen” to assist in removing the nets. SPSR located the catamaran and the watermen separated it from the mangled net. SPSR then towed the vessel to Reedville with some of the net still attached.
Thanks to the watermen who assisted cutting their own net. Without their help, extracting the catamaran from the net would have been very difficult in the cold water with night approaching. Total time: 3.5 hours.
March 29: SPSR received a call from the NCSO that a 33-foot sailboat was aground in the Coan River and requested assistance. SPSR dispatched a crew by car and located the vessel. Rescue II was dispatched with crew of three from Olverson’s Marina on Lodge Creek. SPSR quickly located the sailboat at Kingscoate Creek, freed it from the mud and towed the vessel to the owner’s pier. Total time: 3.5 hours
April 1: SPSR received a call from a third-party that a 33-foot blue-hulled sailboat had engine problems and was aground in Ingram Bay. Rescue III with a crew of three responded from Cockrell Creek, located the sailboat and towed it to Jennings Boatyard. Total time: 2.0 hours.
April 3: SPSR received a call from the NCSO that a 28-foot Sabre Sailboat had experienced engine failure near Green Channel marker #7 in the Potomac River. Rescue II with a crew of four responded from Lodge Creek Marina and located the sailboat. Rescue II towed it to Lewisetta Marina. Total time: 3.5 hours
April 10: SPSR received a call from the NCSO that a 25-foot Grady White had experienced engine problems at the mouth of Ingram Bay. Due to low tide and shallow water, SPSR dispatched Rescue Skiff A with a crew of two and Rescue III with a crew of three. Rescue Skiff A located the boat, with two on board, at anchor near Fairport adjacent to Red Channel marker #8. Rescue A delivered a towline and Rescue III towed the vessel to Shell Landing. Total time: 2.25 hours.
April 20: SPSR received a request from the NCSO to investigate and potentially assist a sailboat reported aground near Vir-Mar Beach on the Potomac River. Rescue I, with a crew of four, responded and located a 30-foot sloop hard aground approximately 50 yards offshore in very shallow water near Flag Pond. No vessel identification numbers were visible. SPSR documented the vessel with photographs and notified the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) and the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) of the vessel location.
SPSR learned the USCG had previously rescued the sailor during storm conditions the previous day. Due to unsafe conditions during the storm, the vessel was anchored near Solomons, Md. Through the course of the storm, the vessel broke anchor and drifted across the Potomac River to Flag Pond. With the vessel now located, the USCG notified the owner and TowBoat US to arrange for its removal. Total time: 3.0 hours
SPRS is not a salvage company and does not have authority to take custody of any abandoned vessel without the owner’s direct permission or direction from a civil authority. SPSR does, however, assist marine authorities and vessel owners with the recovery and securing of disabled boats.
SPSR is looking for new members. Call or text 540-446-8972 or 703-976-6830, or email searescue2023@gmailcom.
Smith Point Sea Rescue is a volunteer 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 depends 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.
