But with so many boaters trying to escape the heat or squeeze in one last outing before the kids head back to school, this final weekend before Labor Day was a busy one for the US Coast Guard and other rescuers.
Chatham, Massachusetts, has been in the news this summer for shark sightings, which probably added to the drama of two incidents on Sunday. In one, an 18-foot Mako had a fire onboard and its passengers had to be rescued by the Chatham harbor master and local firefighters. Not too far from the boat fire, at about the same time, a 19- or 20-foot Boston Whaler overturned by six-foot waves dumping its six passengers into the water near Monomoy Island. According to today’s Cape Cod Times, nobody in either of the Chatham incidents got eaten by sharks.
Chicago Flip
Saturday night in Chicago, a 22-foot powerboat with five people onboard struck a breakwater and overturned near Navy Pier. Rescuers found some of the passengers on the breakwater and some in the water according to mystateline.com.
Stalled, Injured
A 42-foot sports fishing vessel stalled due to an electrical failure about 12 miles south of Point Reyes in California, and needed rescue due to multiple injuries onboard. The boat was apparently on its way to Alaska, and its passengers included a 90 year old. According to the Silicon Valley Mercury News, an EPIRB helped rescuers locate this vessel quickly.
Open Water
A 26-foot boat’s anchor lost hold on Saturday, sending the vessel adrift off Key Largo afternoon. This is usually not that big of a deal, but this story made the Miami Herald because three children were alone on the boat while all three adults were left SCUBA diving as the boat drifted away. Makers of the film Open Water may have just gotten an idea for a sequel here.
Lets hope Labor Day weekend is a little less dramatic! Please boat safely.
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We as boaters must become smarter and learn that is never safe to leave a boat that has no one aboard to operate it.
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