The coastland times. [volume] (Mnateo [i.e. Manteo], N.C.) 1947-1959, 1958-07-11
SAFETY ON WATER
BECOMES CRITICAL
RECENT PROBLEM
Coast Guard Calls Attention to
Need for Safety Sense and
Protective Measures
(This article was issued by the Of
flee of the Commander 5th Coast
Guard District, Norfolk, Va.)

June 81 to 20, the first weekend
of President Eisenhower's National
Safe Boating Week, 81 distress
cases were handled by the Fifth
Coast Guard District Rescue Co.
ordination Center. This total was
the second highest in District his
tory and only two below the rec
ord set last year!
If this sad figure is any indica-
ton, then it would appear that the
coming July 4th weekend and the
summer of 1868 as a whole, will
be breaking all previous records
not to mention injuring and killing
an increasing number of persons
and damaging far more boats.
While perhaps a few of last
weekend's 81 search and rescue in
cidents were unavoidable, the ma
jority would seem to have been
unnecessary.
One wonders if the three boat
men who went aground in POGO
moke Sound, along the Miles Riv-
err, and at Morehead City had
charts. If they had them, did they
know how to read them?
Could some of the motor casual
ties which disabled 20 boats in mid
stream have been detected by care
full inspection and repaired before
departing the dock.
Were the operators of the two
|motorboats which collided off the
Ocean View area of Norfolk ia
miliar with the Rules of the Road?
Did the two automobile drivers
who had to be towed from the
beach at Virginia Beach and CAT
feys Inlet use sense in taking con-
ventional cars on the sand,
|, Gould the owners who ran low
on fuel near Ocean City and Wach-
apreague have anticipated their
needs more accurately? In the
Ocean City case, the distress was
deemed as so serious that over a
two-day period the following Coast
Guard surface and air era t
searched for the vessel in question:
five patrol boats ranging in length
from &c to 83 feet, the cutter Ma
rion, and two amphibious planes.
In addition, a beach patrol search
was also launched.
Thus the miscalculation of one
mariner led to the utilization of
six vessels, two aircraft, and
countless personnel at untold cost
to the taxpayer.
Although there were no lives
lost in this case, there were two
drownings in the course of the
weekend-one in Atlantic Beach
and another off the Ocean View
area of Norfolk.
In the later case, two boys anch-
ored a rented boat one-half mile
off shore and then got out to
swim. The current presumably
was SO swift that they could not
get back to the boat. One of the
boys, who had Coast Guard APP
proved life cushion, was found and
rescued by cabin cruiser in the
vicinity.
The other boy, age II, was never
found, and his life cuhion was la
ter discovered by the Coast Guard
in place where it would do no
good-in the abandoned boat.
And perhaps the most question
able case of all took place on the
Potomac River Sunday afternoon,
when boat with five persons left
a small creek enroute supposedly
for beach ten miles south along
the river.
Early Monday morning, they
had still not arrived, and it was
reported to the Coast Guard, which
then launched an extensive search.
Shortly thereafter, the police found
the five moored approximately
seven miles north of the creek and
Is miles north of their supposed
destination. Yet they had never
notified their families of their
change in plans.
To top it all off, it was found
that the boat which all five had
embarked in was a 14-foot out
board with a 35-horsepower motor.
This case reminds one of the safe
ty slogan Overloaded Overpow-
cred Overheard" 1t would seem
that these five are alive today
despite-rather than because Of
their efforts.
One wonders if these five and
the others mentioned will make
similar seemingly suicidal boat
trips and cause unnecessary
search and rescue efforts again
this weekend.
| Will you?