Coast Guard rescues 3 stranded boatersBy Noah Haglund (Contact)
The Post and Courier
Saturday, June 28, 2008
The Post and Courier A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter plucked three stranded boaters from shallow coastal waters near McClellanville early Friday. The trio had been out on an 18-foot johnboat when the engine failed on Bulls Bay just north of Bulls Island, said Lee Bower, a search and rescue coordinator with the Coast Guard's Sector Charleston. The boaters made the first call for help around 9:40 p.m. Thursday on a cell phone. They did not have a VHF radio, flares or other safety equipment. The state Department of Natural Resources sent a boat to the stranded party, but DNR could not reach them because the water was too shallow, Bower said. The Coast Guard sent a helicopter to hoist the boaters to safety around 1:20 a.m. The Coast Guard and Charleston-area officials have made two recent rescues of boaters who ran out of gas near Folly Beach: a group of four on May 27 and a couple with a dog earlier this week. Nobody was injured in any of the incidents, though officials have pointed out that each time the boaters ran extra risks by not having safety equipment or planning ahead. Reach Noah Haglund at 937-5550 or nhaglund@postandcourier.com. |
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Comments
This article has 3 comment(s)
Posted by BillytheKid on June 28, 2008 at 4:43 a.m. (Suggest removal)
They ran out of gas and got stuck in the puff. If they would have waited a few hours the tide would have "freed" them. Ya should give them a bill.
Posted by auger on June 28, 2008 at 7:09 p.m. (Suggest removal)
I've heard it said that God protects children and idiots. The USCG seems to be concentrating on the idiots.
Posted by Rggr on June 30, 2008 at 12:49 p.m. (Suggest removal)
It says their engine failed.