CHINCOTEAGUE, Va. — The Coast Guard assisted a disabled boat with five people aboard just after midnight Wednesday near Mosquito Creek in Chincoteague Bay.
Coast Guard Sector Virginia watchstanders received a notification that a 21-foot pontoon boat reportedly suffered an engine casualty and needed assistance. A Coast Guard Station Chincoteague 27-foot Shallow Water Special Purpose Craft boatcrew launched to assist the boaters, who were disabled in an area difficult to navigate.
“Our crew was able to get on scene with the pontoon, assess the operational picture and prevent the situation from deteriorating into something more severe,” said Senior Chief Petty Officer Conor Bennett, Station Chincoteague officer-in-charge. “The Coast Guard recommends boaters take free boating safety courses, which are valuable to boaters of all experience levels. These courses cover a variety of topics like proper safety gear to have, boating traffic rules and how to handle maritime emergencies just to name a few. The courses are available through multiple organizations throughout the nation, such as the Coast Guard Auxiliary.”
The station crew brought the boaters to their nearby campground with no reported injuries.