News Release

In St Louis, Missouri, Kitty Nicolai and Curtis Holland of Auxiliary District 8 Western Rivers handled four different emergency cases on Saturday evening. These cases included sinking boat, a sunken boat, an overdue boat, or a boating accident with injuries.

On Sunday, the crew of Launch5 of Ossining, New York handled four different emergency search and rescue cases. These cases included a vessel hard aground, a vessel on the rocks and two Personal Watercraft (PWC) disabled.

Both sets of Auxiliarists promptly, professionally and expertly utilized the skills and training obtained from the Coast Guard and Coast Guard Auxiliary and were able to find and then rescue those mariners who were in distress.

On the Mississippi River, the crew of Auxiliary Vessel 2310314 was preparing to call it a night when the first of four SAR cases presented themselves. The first case was a disabled PWC ten miles downriver from St. Charles, MO. Three-quarters of the way to the location, the Auxiliary crew was informed that a good samaritan had picked up the injured jet skier and was taking them to the local marina. Auxiliary 2310314 proceeded to the marina to insure its safe arrival.

The second SAR case turned out to be the good samaritan. The PWC skier they helped had crashed into its vessel. The boat sustained a ten inch hole near the water line. The good samaritan's bilge pumps were keeping up with the water, but asked Auxiliary vessel 2310314 to escort it to the marina, some six miles away in the Illinois River.

While underway with escort duty, a third SAR call was received, this time for a missing vessel. Unfortunately, Auxiliary 2310314 was in the midst of escorting the good samaritans to the marina, which was eight miles upstream at the confluence of the Illinois and Mississippi River.

This SAR call was eventually cancelled when the vessel was found, but the calm didn't last long. Six minutes later, the fourth SAR case was broadcast: a small boat with two people on board was taking on water and sinking.

Auxiliary 2310314 was within one mile of this SAR case. After responding, it found another good samaritan helping the sinking vessel. The major problem 2310314 encountered was that the occupants of the good samaritan vessel and the sinking vessel appeared intoxicated. With the help of the Illinois Conservation Police, all parties were secured.

On the other side of the country, Launch5 was performing some routine maintenance when it heard a MAYDAY on VHF Ch 16. Responding to the call for help, CG Sector New York informed the crew of Launch5 that the vessel ran hard aground on Teller's Point, located in Croton, NY. Launch5 assisted six persons on the 26 foot cabin cruiser.

Standing by while SeaTow, a commercial towing company assisted the cabin cruiser, Launch5 was hailed by a passing boater and informed that there was a boat on the rocks in Haverstraw Bay, on the other side of Teller's Point.

Launch5 responded and received further information that the craft was disabled, and the master was an elderly, frail gentleman. During the search for the disabled vessel, Launch5 came across a jet ski with two people on board, and two in the water, trying to prevent the jet ski from hitting the rocks.

After assisting in freeing the jet ski, they towed the craft to the middle of the bay, where they released the jet ski to others for a tow back to their marina.

While waiting for the transfer of the disabled jet ski to the other boat, Launch5 observed two other jet ski operators in the water and signaling it that there was an emergency.

Launch5 responded again to these SAR cases (each vessel is considered a SAR case). Launch5 retrieved the jet skiers (who were wearing personal flotation devices) and their jet skis and moved them to deeper water in Haverstraw Bay. They it turned these two boaters over to the Rockland County Sheriff's Marine Patrol.

What makes the majority of these SAR cases similar is that most could have been prevented if the boater's had taken a boating safety course. In the course, they would have learned the importance of wearing a personal flotation device (PFD), of navigating, and knowing the terrain where they are boating. They would have also learned about how important a VHF radio is, and why boating and drinking do not mix.

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