Portsmouth, Va. — Good Samaritans rescued a 13-year-old Boy Scout after the 16-foot sailboat he was on capsized approximately a half mile from the Kiptopeke State Park in the Chesapeake Bay near Cape Charles.
A good Samaritan aboard a kayak contacted Coast Guard Station Cape Charles watchstanders at approximately 10:30 a.m. reporting that a sailboat had capsized and one person was in the water.
Station Cape Charles watchstanders dispatched a crew aboard a 25-foot boat to assist.
Once on scene, the crew found the Boy Scout had been rescued by good Samaritans aboard a 30-foot center console boat. The Coast Guard crew made contact with the Boy Scout to ensure he was okay and the good Samaritans aboard the 30-foot boat took the boy back to shore at the state park.
The crew remained on scene until a troop’s scout master arrived to salvage the sailboat.
“The generosity and situational awareness of the boaters who assisted the Coast Guard in this case can not be understated,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Daniel Eisenhard, a member at Station Cape Charles. “They did the right things by calling the Coast Guard quickly and staying on scene. The fact that the Boy Scout was wearing his life jacket also ensured a happy outcome to this case.”
There were no reports of injuries.
