BALTIMORE – The Coast Guard rescued two people from a boat taking on water in the Sassafras River near Grove Point in Earleville, Md., Saturday.
The crew of a 25-foot Response Boat-Small from Coast Guard Station Stillpond, Md., were alerted to the mariners in distress after observing the two men waving for help from the bow of a 20-foot recreational boat near the mouth of the Sassafras River. The boat was nearly submerged due to taking waves reportedly as high as three feet over their vessel’s bow.
At approximately 1 p.m., the Stillpond crew took the mariners aboard the Coast Guard rescue boat after the boatcrew attempted dewatering the vessel but were unable to keep the vessel from sinking.
The crew took the rescued men to the City Yacht Basin in Havre De Grace, Md., while a commercial tow company salvaged the vessel.
There were no reports of injuries.
“I think they learned a good lesson; check the weather before you go out,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Steven Osborn, a coxswain at Station Stillpond. “Be mindful of your environment and if you see bad weather it might be a better idea to head in rather then tough it out.”
The Coast Guard urges mariners to outfit their boat with a functioning marine-band radio. 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.
