PORTSMOUTH, Va. – The Coast Guard rescued a man after he fell overboard into the Chesapeake Bay.
Watchstanders got a call from Lancaster County Dispatch just before 1:30 p.m. after a woman witnessed her husband fall over their 33-foot recreational boat.
She told dispatch she was able to throw him a life jacket before he floated out of her sight.
A small 29-foot Response Boat-Small (RBS) crew launched from Station Milford Haven and a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew launched from Coast Guard Air Station in Elizabeth City, North Carolina.
The RBS crew arrived on scene almost two miles southeast of Windmill point shortly after 2 p.m.
They found the man and pulled him from the water. Medical personnel evaluated the man, returned him to his boat and escorted he and his wife to Windmill Point Marina in Westland.
“We train for this type of situation all the time, and each member of our crew knows their responsibilities,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Joshua Nieves, Station Milford Haven’s officer of the day and an RBS crewman on the case. “We recommend wearing a life jacket with a Personal Locator Beacon (PLB) attached. This man’s wife acted quickly and made good choices by throwing him a life jacket and calling for help. Without flotation and some type of position indicating device, chances of survival are greatly diminished should you fall overboard.”
