WASHINGTON — A group of boaters out for a day of fishing Monday near Annapolis ended up being the ones plucked from the water.
Seven people were aboard a 21-foot boat in Whitehall Bay just south of the Chesapeake Bay Bridge when their boat ran aground on a sandbar. Then, suddenly, they were hit by a wave and the boat capsized.
Candy Thomson, spokeswoman for the Maryland Natural Resources Police says some NRP officers were on their way back from a Memorial Day wreath-laying ceremony in Annapolis when they spotted the boaters in the water.
“Some of them were in the water, some of them were clinging to the boat, and we kind of swooped in and scooped them up.” Thomson explained.
Thomson says the group appeared shaken up by the experience, but there were no serious injuries. And initial reports indicate everyone had their life jackets on “which is the number one rule of safety” Thomson says.
The boat did suffer some damage, but Thomson says NRP officers were able to flip the boat right side up and tow it to Sandy Point State Park.
“We didn’t want it out there as a navigational hazard,” says Thomson.
It was the first time the owner of the boat had taken his craft out on the water.
Memorial Day weekend is the kick off to the summer boating season for many, and Thomson says boaters should always give their watercraft a once-over before a day on the water.
“Do a quick inspection, stem to stern. See if anything needs repair before you go out.”
Thomson says that’s especially true after a long, harsh winter.
Thomson says police spent the Memorial Day weekend doing saturation patrols and carrying out safety inspections. She says every boater should have the following:
- Enough life jackets for everyone on board
- A working horn on board
- A whistle to signal for help
- Flares to signal for help at night
- A working fire extinguisher
Thomson says the seven boaters on that 21-foot boat in Whitehall Bay had their life jackets available and has a reminder for boaters.
“Please make sure you’ve got life jackets. Know where they are — and make sure you know how to put them on, because when your boat is sinking is a bad time to try to learn how to put on a life jacket.”
WTOP’s Kate Ryan contributed to this report.
