An unsafe boater, who was being escorted to shore by the same patrol boat, watched the rescue unfold and learned a valuable boating safety lesson. Reservists BMC Robert Cox, MK3 Stan Hayward, BM3 Cody Scott and SN Bryan Blair were patrolling the Mississippi River near Memphis October 13 on their drill weekend. A 14-foot open skiff with two people on board passed near the patrol boat shortly after 1 p.m. Reservists BM3 Cody Scott and MK3 Stan Hayward rescued Sparkle and Treasure Wortham, shown here with their brother, Demetrius. The girls were trapped under a capsized small boat.
Towboats create a wake that can easily swamp a small pleasure craft.
Cox and his crew approached the skiff to warn the operator of the danger. A man and his 10-year old daughter were on board the small open boat. Neither was wearing a life jacket and the only life jacket on the skiff was designed for an infant, much too small for the girl. The man said they could use the seat cushions if they got into any trouble. As the crew of the patrol boat escorted the skiff toward the entrance to McKellar Lake, they saw a 17-foot bass boat capsize in the wake of a towboat entering the Mississippi River.