VIRGINIA BEACH
Two boaters were rescued this morning from Lynnhaven Inlet after they were ejected from their 17-foot boat.
The two boaters fell overboard and were rescued by a good Samaritan at about 9:20 a.m., according to a news release from the U.S. Coast Guard. However, the boat continued to run in circles, creating a hazard to nearby boaters.
Two boats responded to the scene, a Coast Guard boat crew conducting training aboard a 25-foot response boat and a 45-foot response boat from the Coast Guard Station at Little Creek. They threw heaving lines to stop the boat’s propellers, but when that didn’t work, they pulled alongside the boat and used a boat hook on the throttle to stop it, the news release said.
Most boats have a kill switch to stop the engine if the driver is thrown from the vessel. The Coast Guard, in its news release, recommended that boaters use the kill switch whenever the boat is underway to prevent this same kind of situation.
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Here is one scenario...
A certain x I know once threw himself and a few others out of the boat while he was drinking and driving. Hit a bit of high ground out there in the Lynnhaven inlet...and poof they got ejected. One lone person was left on the boat and had enough sense to stop the engine and get the others into the boat. Close call.
Another time the real winner of an x ended up stranded in his own boat because he passed out before he tied the boat up properly at Chix. His friend had the keys. The boat floated out into the darkness with no lights and no way to start it.
Fair warning dear public, he still has boats.
I'll bet what was going through their minds as they...
...started to fall overboard will be something they won't soon forget! They're lucky they're still alive.
Not a surprise
You really never know what to expect on the water. Expect the unexpected!
It does amaze me that the boat only ran in circles. Sounds like a broken steering cable to me.
That magic switch...
Yea, the so called 'kill' switch: Apparently these 'boaters' had no clue of the risks they faced, and didn't correctly prepare anyway.
There's a 'lanyard' attached to the stupid key or the 'cut-off' switch on every marine motor - in board or outboard - manufactured in the US. Guess they didn't know how to use that either!
and power
Two Boaters
I would like to know how in the world did TWO boaters fall out of a boat and did they have PFD on? Sounds fishy to me.