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Distressed vessel towed to marina
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Posted on Apr 23 2019
The Boating Safety unit of the Department of Public Safety successfully rescued a distressed 14-foot vessel just west of Banzai Cliff last Friday, April 19. The two persons onboard were found safe.
According to a DPS statement about the incident, the department received a 911 call at about 3:50pm about two individuals aboard the distressed vessel.
At about 4:11pm, DPS Boating Safety officers left the Smiling Cove Marina aboard the Impact rescue boat. They came upon the vessel, floating just outside the reef of Wing Beach, at around 4:30pm.
Two minutes later, the DPS rescue boat began towing the distressed vessel and its two passengers back to the Smiling Cove Marina, arriving at the marina at about 5:30pm.
After a quick safety brief, the vessel was found to have all its safety equipment on board and up to date.
DPS Boating Safety officers learned that the captain and his nephew left the Smiling Cove Marina at about 9am and they had planned to head toward Banzai Cliff to fish. After arriving at Banzai Cliff at around 11am, the two began their fishing route and after a couple loops from Banzai Cliff to Cowtown, they planned to call it a day by 4pm.
Before that time the vessel’s motor began to lose power; the operator then noticed a thick cloud of white smoke coming from the engine. The operator of the vessel immediately called 911.
The DPS Boating Safety Unit would like to remind all boaters to have a plan when going on a fishing trip, and to share that plan with family members and/or friends. Try to have a more than one means of communication aboard the vessel, and to always check the vessels safety equipment before leaving for your next fishing trip.
