PORTSMOUTH, Va. – Thanks to the Coast Guard, a man is safe after his boat started to sink in the Rappahannock River Wednesday morning.
A 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew from Station Milford Haven approaches a 24-foot pleasure craft Dec. 19, 2018, seven miles east of Deltaville, Virginia. The station’s crew passed over a P-6 dewatering pump and assisted the captain, escorting him back to his residence and personal dock in Broad Creek, Virginia. (U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy of Petty Officer 2nd Class Joshua Heilman)
The mariner notified Coast Guard Station Milford Haven watchstanders via VHF-FM channel 16 that his 24-foot recreational boat was taking on water more than seven miles east of Deltaville.
A 45-foot Response Boat-Medium rescue crew launched form Station Milford Haven to help the man.
The Coast Guard crew used a P-6 dewatering pump to remove water from the boat before escorting the mariner to Broad Creek.
“Mariners should be prepared for emergencies, because you never know what’s going to happen on the water,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Joshua Heilman, coxswain for the case. “Bringing a dewatering device can prevent your vessel from sinking.”
