CLEVELAND — A rescue boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Buffalo, N.Y., assisted a woman and her dog after her boat grounded and began taking on water in Lake Erie near Angola, N.Y., Saturday evening.
The woman was wearing a life jacket. Her name and age are not being released.
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Buffalo received notification of the woman in distress at about 8 p.m. via VHF-FM channel 16. The Coast Guard boatcrew, aboard a 33-foot Special Purpose Craft-Law Enforcement, was unable to free the grounded boat because of the water depth. The woman and dog were brought onto the SPC-LE because of concerns about the vessel’s stability.
A commercial tow company arrived on scene and was able to re-float the vessel. There were no reported injuries.
“A lot of the time, we refer mariners in non-emergency situations to commercial salvage and assistance companies,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Bradley Derflinger, a search-and-rescue controller with the 9th Coast Guard District. “In this case though, we felt the situation presented a reasonable amount of danger to those aboard, so we responded to assist them.”
The Coast Guard recommends that mariners sign up for commercial tow and salvage services, and have the company contact information with them while they are underway.
