Three rescued from boat near McClellanville

By Noah Haglund

The Post and Courier

Friday, June 27, 2008

The Post and Courier

A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter plucked three stranded boaters from shallow coastal waters near McClellanville early this morning.

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 waters were too shallow, Bower said. The Coast Guard sent a Johns Island-based 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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JAMJOH (anonymous) says...

People need to take some boater education or safety courses before they venture out on the water. All of these incidents are so stupid and preventable.

June 27, 2008 at 8:46 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

ptmama73 (anonymous) says...

I agree with JAMJOH.

I also think that if you run out of gas you should have to foot the bill for the rescue efforts. Why should we tax payers cover the price of your stupidity? My family never leaves the landing without an extra 5 gallon drum of gas, 2 paddles, and safety equipment. It's just common sense.

June 27, 2008 at 9:01 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

summerville_guy (anonymous) says...

Here's to the Coast Guard!

June 27, 2008 at 10:07 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

shoelaces (anonymous) says...

It is people like these who give the responsible boaters a bad name. So glad they are OK.

People do need to educate themselves. It sounds like the problem these three incurred was mechanical and unless they had the skills to fix it then they were out of luck.

They will hopefully be better prepared the next time they venture out.

June 27, 2008 at 10:24 a.m. ( permalink | suggest removal )

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