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The usual chatter on the marine radio for a weekend when about noon today we heard a call to the CG that there where 4 children and one adult in the water north of the Bay Bridge just west of the main channel. For the next hour we where tuned in trying to find out what happened?
At this time there is one male, approx. 50 years of age still missing.
I heard the Pan-Pan for this all afternoon.
Six people in a 17 foot center console skiff. Overloaded, IMO.
In a boat that small and simple, I surmise that the drain plug came out, or the boat was in poor structural condition and the engine tore the transom out.
The statement about PFD's rings false with me. On a 17 foot center console, there isn't exactly a lot of locker space. PFD's would have been out in the open, or stuffed under a hollow, open bench. I'm betting they didn't have enough.
Pan-Pan?!? I suppose that's the right thing to call in this instance. Is it not appropriate to put out a Mayday if it isn't actually you that's in trouble? Some officials in some places can get a bit picky about these things so it's nice to know...
(Great job, BTW - doing all that single-handed!! :eek)
I was the sailboat on scene and took five people aboard my boat, four children and one adult male. I never saw the sixth person, father of two of the boys.
I was headed northbound west of the main channel when I observed what appeared to be people swimming, it looked odd then I saw debris and knew they were in trouble. I made the distress call to the coast guard.
As I approached the group in the water I saw none were wearing PFDs, and no boat to be seen. I threw every floating device I had then picked up the most distressed persons first, a young girl then a young boy. He had gone under twice before I was able to grab him and pull him aboard. I then went to get the remaining three persons, two boys and older male (I believe one of the fathers). All were aboard my boat with in probably 5 minutes. The man was exhausted, I asked him to hold on to the swim ladder until I could get him a PFD and tried to get him to come around the side of the boat where he could use an easier boarding ladder due to my dingy on a davit... but he would not go back in the water so I loosened the dingy and was able to get him in the cockpit.
By this time the first responder had arrived on scene, a Coast Guard Auxiliary crew. I had the four children put on PFDs and the father. While all this was going on the Coast Guard was calling to get GPS coordinates but I was unable to reply because I was the only person aboard and I knew if I did not get all five of them aboard ASAP they were not going to make it. Fortunately in my my first call and one or two subsequent calls the area of the incident is pretty easy to locate. "Just north of the bay bridge west of the channel near the large concrete support structures.
With in 10 minutes there were at least 10 boats from the coast guard, MD DNR, AA County Firefighters. In addition, two coast guard helicopters and a MD State Police helicopter.
We transferred the five persons to the coast guard cutter and then I waited for about an hour to give the MD DNR a statement. It was originally thought the persons were from my boat, but in fact I was single and their boat had sunk, apparently flooded and sank within minutes.
I was at the right place to help them...those children are heroes. I only wish we were able to find the sixth person. UGH
I was the sailboat on scene and took five people aboard my boat, four children and one adult male. I never saw the sixth person, father of two of the boys.
I was headed northbound west of the main channel when I observed what appeared to be people swimming, it looked odd then I saw debris and knew they were in trouble. I made the distress call to the coast guard.
As I approached the group in the water I saw none we wearing PFDs, and no boat to be seen. I threw every floating device I had then picked up the most distressed persons first, a young girl then a young boy. He had gone under twice before I was able to grab him and pull him aboard. I then went to get the remaining three persons, two boys and older male (I believe one of the fathers). All were aboard my boat with in probably 5 minutes. The man was exhausted, I asked him to hold on to the swim ladder until I could get him a PFD and tried to get him to come around the side of the boat where he could use an easier boarding ladder due to my dingy on a davit... but he would not go back in the water so I loosened the dingy and was able to get him in the cockpit.
By this time the first responder had arrived on scene, a Coast Guard Auxiliary crew. I had the four children put on PFDs and the father. While all this was going on the Coast Guard was calling to get GPS coordinates but I was unable to reply because I was the only person aboard and I knew if I did not get all five of them aboard ASAP they were not going to make it. Fortunately in my my first call and one or two subsequent calls the area if the incident is pretty easy to locate. "Just north of the bay bridge west of the channel near the large concrete support structures.
With in 10 minutes there were at least 10 boats from the coast guard, MD DNR, AA County Firefighters. In addition, two coast guard helicopters and a MD State Police helicopter.
We transferred the five persons to the coast guard cutter and then I waited for about an hour to give the MD DNR a statement. It was originally thought the persons were from my boat, but in fact I was single and their boat had sunk, apparently flooded and sank within minutes.
I was at the right place to help them...those children are heroes. I only wish we were able to find the sixth person. UGH
You should be very proud of yourself. People respond to emergencies in all kinds of ways; some becoming unraveled as they try to figure out what to do first, and by the potential pathos of what they are witnessing. It sounds like you stayed calm enough to keep your wits about you; devising, ad-libbing and prioritizing as you went. Few of us go through life with the chance to save even one life, let alone five. Saving five people is a tremendous feat. The word 'hero' gets tossed about lightly these days, but staying in control of yourself and rising above the emergency makes you a hero in my book.
You should be very proud of yourself. People respond to emergencies in all kinds of ways; some becoming unraveled as they try to figure out what to do first, and by the potential pathos of what they are witnessing. It sounds like you stayed calm enough to keep your wits about you; devising, ad-libbing and prioritizing as you went. Few of us go through life with the chance to save even one life, let alone five. Saving five people is a tremendous feat. The word 'hero' gets tossed about lightly these days, but staying in control of yourself and rising above the emergency makes you a hero in my book.
As usual, I heard so many conflicting and inaccurate reports from the media. Yesterday several news outlets claimed it was a 17' sailboat that sunk but also that it was a center console. Never heard of a center console sailboat.
Great job Shawn. As Jeff alluded, you kept your priority on the correct task - recovering the people in the water, not trying to answer questions that can be answered later when threats to life have been resolved.
I've trained as a Ground SAR Team Leader with VA Department of Emergency Services and as part of Civil Air Patrol, and know if I had been in your shoes the first thing I would have told the CG is a reasonable description of the location as you did, then tell them to "Stand By".
I can't count the number of times I've listened as the CG continued to ask a skipper responding to an emergency a series of checklist questions. It would have been pretty tough for you describe the color of the vessel in distress when it was sitting on the bottom when you arrived. Focusing on getting the people out of the water was the exact right thing to do.
Well done. I agree that you were clearly the first responder and because of your actions many lives were saved. As someone who sails in your home waters and was out there the day before, this hits home. Thanks for posting.
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