BALTIMORE – The Coast Guard rescued five people and one dog after their vessel reportedly became disabled and adrift near Marshall Hall in the Potomac River Monday.
Rescued were Mark Hawkins, Mike Hawkins, Pete Houser, Patricia Jones and Tina Butler.
Coast Guard Sector Baltimore watchstanders received a call from Towboat U.S. reporting that an 18-foot pleasure craft was disabled and taking on water between Marshall Hall and Fort Washington Marina.
A 25-foot response boat crew from Coast Guard Station Washington, D.C., arrived on scene and towed the boat and crew back to Marshall Hall.
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.
