On Sunday around 5PM, a good samaritan notified Captain Gilbert James of Towboat US (Potomac Marine) of a boat in distress near Fairview Beach on the Potomac River. The report was that a pontoon boat had capsized near Belvedere Beach during an afternoon thunderstorm, leaving five people in the water clinging to the boat, and one person missing. The storm produced wind gusts of up to 40 kts and all the waves to go along with it. The National Weather Service had previously issued a small craft advisory, warning mariners of the coming storm, but of course this time of year that happens about every day.
Captain James left Fairview Beach Marina, and with the help of the good samaritan, quickly located the capsized boat. Once there, he found five victims with no life jackets holding onto the boat. With the aid of his son Ryan, he was able to get all five survivors onto his towboat, quickly assess the victims for injuries, and then transported them back to Fairview Beach Marina where EMS crews from King George Fire & Rescue were waiting to take over. Unfortunately there were originally six souls aboard the boat, meaning one was still missing.
A search was then conducted for the sixth passenger by an off duty DC Fire Department rescue diver, but he was not successful. Captain James and Captain Josh Hill were given clearance to attempt to right the vessel, and were successful in getting the boat upright and stable. It was at that time that the final missing victim was located and their body recovered.
Our hearts go out to the family of the sixth victim. We always think of boating as fun and care-free, but it’s tragedies like this that occasionally remind us of how quickly things can go sideways on the water.
We’ve been notified that Captain James will be nominated to receive two life saving awards (the Woody Pollak Award and the AFRAS Life Saving Award) for his quick and effective response to what could have easily become a much worse tragedy. We are lucky to have folks like him on the river with us!