NORFOLK, Virginia (WNCN) — The U.S. Coast Guard received distress calls and helped rescue nearly two dozen people in Virginia waters over the weekend, officials said early Tuesday.
The calls involved 23 people aboard at least five boats or kayaks, officials said.
A call on Saturday morning involved the rescue of a mother and her two teen daughters near Wise Point Boat Ramp near Cape Charles, just across the Chesapeake Bay from Norfolk.
The incident began as the woman and her daughters, ages 13 and 15, were out kayaking with her brother-in-law, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
A kayak with the older daughter and the brother-in-law capsized.
“The woman pulled her daughter onto her kayak, however, her brother-in-law remained clinging to the overturned kayak, unable to right it,” the Coast Guard said in a news release.
The 15-year-old girl suffered a minor injury in the incident.
A 25-foot response boat from Station Cape Charles arrived on the scene and took all four kayakers and their kayaks to Wise Point Boat Ramp.
Saturday night, the U.S. Coast Guard coordinated rescue efforts of 13 people aboard a 60-foot fishing boat.
The boat named Moon Dog was disabled in Norfolk Canyon, about 40 miles off the coast of Virginia Beach.
The U.S. Coast Guard at the Virginia Command Center coordinated communications with the Moon Dog and its owner. The Coast Guard worked on location updates until a good Samaritan arrived to tow them to Ocean City, Maryland.
Then, Sunday morning, the Coast Guard received a call for help with two people aboard a 24-foot boat named Serenity.
The boat was disabled two miles northeast of Little Creek Inlet, just south of Cobb Island, the Coast Guard said. The pair jumped from the boat while wearing life jackets, but were pulled by the current.
A 29-foot boat from U.S. Coast Guard Station Little Creek found the pair and took them to their boat. A towing company then arrived and took the Serenity to Morning Star Marina in Little Creek.
Hours later on Sunday night, the Coast Guard was alerted about a 20-foot vessel named Sea Ray that was disabled.
The boat was drifting 4 miles southeast of Tangier Island in the Chesapeake Bay.
A 25-foot Coast Guard boat was launched and updated the location of Sea Ray via i911, a cellular tracking device. After the boat was located, the operator was able to restart the engine and was escorted back to Pungoteague Creek.
The weekend of rescues began Friday night with a child and two adults on a boat stranded in the waters near Wachapreague, Virginia.
Crews were alerted that a 19-foot skiff had ruptured a fuel line near the Wachapreague Inlet with the three aboard.
A 27-foot boat from Coast Guard Station Wachapreague towed the vessel to Wachapreague Town Boat Ramp. No injuries were reported.
