CLEVELAND — A Coast Guard boatcrew rescued three boaters Sunday afternoon after their boat became swamped in Lake Erie, off the coast of Geneva State Park in Geneva, Ohio.
The radio watchstander at Coast Guard Station Ashtabula, Ohio, was notified at 11:31 a.m. by a local 911 dispatcher, who reported a pleasure craft taking on water about 1 nautical mile offshore of Geneva State Park.
A rescue boatcrew immediately launched aboard a 33-foot Special Purpose Craft-Law Enforcement boat from Station Ashtabula.
Once on scene, the SPC-LE crew found the three boaters in the water near the swamped pleasure craft. All three were wearing life jackets.
The SPC-LE crew transported the boaters to the park and transferred them to awaiting EMS in good condition. A commercial salvor was able to dewater the vessel and tow it to the park.
“These boaters did everything right,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Adam Lutz, executive petty officer of Station Ashtabula, and the coxswain, or operator, of the SPC-LE crew on this case. “They were wearing life jackets, and they stayed with their vessel.”
“It can be hard to see people in the water,” Lutz added. When the boatcrew approached, the woman was standing on the bow of the partially submerged boat and waving her arms, making them easier to spot.
