BALTIMORE – The Coast Guard rescued two people after they reportedly ran aground near William’s Point in the Pocomoke River Tuesday.
Rescued were Ronald Walker and George Staubs.
Walker called Coast Guard Sector Baltimore watchstanders via cell phone from the Knightrider, a 31-foot vessel, at 10:50 a.m. reporting that he had run aground and the vessel was taking on water. The crew of the Knightrider was able to control the amount of water entering the vessel by using rags to plug the hole.
A 41-foot utility boat crew from Coast Guard Station Crisfield, Md., arrived on scene and towed the Knightrider and crew back to Station Crisfield.
The Coast Guard urges mariners to outfit their boat with a functioning marine-band radio as cell phones are typically an unreliable source of communication due to gaps in coverage and limited battery life. Using channel 16 on a marine-band radio is the most reliable way to communicate a distress to search and rescue personnel in the event of an emergency while on the water.
Also, boaters should try to provide as much information about their boat, situation and position as they can while making a distress call, in order to reduce search areas and response times.
“By knowing his position, and providing it to us, we knew exactly where to go,” said Petty Officer Keith Newman, the officer of the day at Station Crisfield. “That enabled us to respond quickly before their situation could get any worse.”
