No injuries after boat collision off Delaware coast

Posted on 16 July 2012

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Eight people and one pet cat were rescued Friday when a sportfishing boat collided with a sailboat in the Atlantic Ocean off Delaware.

No one was injured. All occupants, including the family cat, were wearing life jackets, according to The News Journal.

The collision occurred about 4 a.m. seven miles east of Bethany Beach, Coast Guard Chief Petty Officer Michael Kristiansen told the newspaper.

Crewmembers at the Indian River Coast Guard Station heard a mayday call over VHF marine radio after the 41-foot sailboat Obsession collided with the 35-foot sportfishing boat Line Item.

The Line Item, carrying six people, quickly began to take on water and started sinking, Kristiansen said.

A Coast Guard crew from Indian River Inlet arrived and rescued the six fishermen, who had left Indian River Marina on Friday morning and were on their way out to the canyons to fish for tuna, Kristiansen said.

The 87-foot Coast Guard cutter Ibis, from Cape May, N.J., then arrived and crewmembers deployed a small boat and rescued two sailors and a cat from the Obsession.

The rescued boaters were taken to the Indian River Coast Guard Station.

The Obsession was salvaged by TowBoatUS.

Click here for the full report.

Comments

5 Friday, 27 July 2012 00:48

By SlicerMVMC

Wow someone had a radar detector to monitor the speed and a tape measure to check the mast height. I do know for a fact the line Item had no auto pilot so leave the Dock Lawyers and the hearsay at the dock. The Coast Guard will figure out what happened.

4 Thursday, 19 July 2012 19:32

By Mark

"The investigation will show that the sailboat Captain was grossly negligent."

I heard that the sailboat was under sail, with a mast height of over 60 feet. I also heard that the powerboat was going 25mph on autopilot, and that the skipper had gone below. The powerboat's skipper has a long row to sow to prove negligence, much less "gross negligence." Even if he was at the helm, in dim light, he'd have to be legally blind to T-bone a slow-moving 41-foot sailboat. I look forward to learning the outcome of the litigation but I know who I'm putting my money on!

3 Tuesday, 17 July 2012 13:25

By Capt.Bruce Pierce

I agree with Bill. Being a Captain of both Power and Sail boat all my life. The Power boat has a lot more ability to get out of the way. I just do not see how two boats can run into each other in a wide open ocean? The Electronics can help a lot and do, but the best piece of Navigation on a boat is a good pair of eyes connected to a good Brain. Not the case of either of these boats.
Both boats have to do whatever they can to get out of the way of the other.

2 Tuesday, 17 July 2012 01:01

By Brian

Bill, I understand your comments and would agree with much of what you say. However, I know the Captain of the motorboat and more details are arising regarding the investigation of the incident. This is a local Captain with over 30 years of boating experience. The investigation will show that the sailboat Captain was grossly negligent.

1 Monday, 16 July 2012 17:10

By Capt. Bill

These type of accidents should & could be avoided if the people at the helm were paying attention. I have spent much of my life at sea & under some pretty adverse weather conditions and still here to talk about it.
The only excuse someone can offer would be depending on electronics to navigete the vessel which is NO excuse at all. People depend way to much on modern electronics and have a tendacy to forget common sense.

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