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harrowing story

4K views 18 replies 14 participants last post by  capta 
#1 ·
Bay News

Harrowing night on Tangier South ends happily for five survivors of capsized boat

At 7 p.m. on July 9, a 16-foot Carolina skiff with five aboard was swamped by waves during a storm about three miles off Deal Island in Tangier Sound. The water, entering over the stern, caused the boat to partially sink and then roll over, sending all of the boat's occupants into the water. All had put on their life jackets when the boat first began taking on water, and after they had been thrown into the water, all held on to the partially sunken boat. At about 7:30, one of the passengers, John Franklin Riggs, 46, decided to swim for help. At about 1 a.m.-five and a half hours later-Riggs reached shore and knocked on the door of the closest residence to call for help.
At 1:10, members of the Maryland Natural Resources Police (NRP), Maryland State Police (MSP) Aviation , Deal Island VFD, Mt. Vernon VFD, and the U.S. Coast Guard were dispatched to search for the four remaining people in the water between Haines Point and Shark Fin Shoal in Northern Tangier Sound. MSP aviation Trooper 4 was the first to locate the overturned vessel near the mouth of the Wicomico River at about 3 a.m. Trooper 4 then directed the responding boats to the overturned vessel. The occupants were still holding on the vessel when the Mt. Vernon VFD rescue boat located them. The occupants were transferred to a larger NRP vessel and taken to Deal Island Harbor, where they received medical attention from Princess Anne EMS. All were treated at the scene and released.
In addition to Riggs, of Rock Hall, Md., the occupants of the boat were John Riggs, 70, of Salisbury, Contessa Riggs, 43, of Washington D.C., Conrad Drake, 3, of Washington D.C. and Emily Horn, 9, for California. Drake is the son of Contessa Riggs, and Horn is her niece.
 
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#3 · (Edited)
Thank god they are safe. Very lucky.

I would like to hear the actual facts surrounding why they were caught in a storm ( probably a late day thunderstorm we all experienced this week) before we start criticizing people for being on the water with their family and poor judgement.

Are you sure there are no other factors other than poor judgement that came into play?

Can't we just be happy they re alive instead of criticizing.
 
#4 ·
The good news is that the Bay is very warm right now, about 80 degrees. Those open boats scare me, power boats with their single power source and no keel really scare me. With a sailboat, if the engine goes out you can always sail home.

Glad that they kept their heads and the main group stayed together.
 
#5 ·
The good news is that the Bay is very warm right now, about 80 degrees. Those open boats scare me, power boats with their single power source and no keel really scare me. With a sailboat, if the engine goes out you can always sail home.

Glad that they kept their heads and the main group stayed together.
Agreed , those skiffs scare me also. Perfect for fishing the 2 ft deep flats there tough.
 
#17 ·
First, glad all survived and commend the captain for his swim. I was out that evening as helmsman on sailboat. Saw storm approaching and suggested run for shelter on western shore, which was overridden by owner. Weather was severe and when it hit twenty minutes later it was too late for reassessment. We had no injuries or equipment failures but, it was not a safe situation even on 34' with full keel.

If you see it coming, respect mother nature and if possible seek shelter. Radio, with weather alerts is a must. Good news is a carolina skiff will stay afloat and staying with the boat, always the proper choice.

Thanks to the rescuers for job well done.
 
#18 ·
Even minimal flare kit might have summoned help. These folks had no business being on the water, with kids no less.
 
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