Do you ever get the feeling everything happens to you! Saturday afternoon May 15, three of us left Cobb Island for Nomini Creek (N38 08 31.9 W76 43 35.8) around 1:30p for a raft up. Winds were great, main was half reefed and we were still doing 6-7kts, damn beautiful day. La Chasseuresse, H54 and a power boat and Java rafted up in the creek doing those kind of things you do while rafted. After an hour of this we decided to get back to Cobb Island, a bad line of thunderstorms were 70mi west and headed our way. I was last out of the creek and took a line that kept us to the Virginia side of the Potomac. Winds were great. We had gone about 1.5nm and was approaching a small sailboat that turned out to be a 'Buccaneer' around 14-18 ft. As we approached the person on board started calling for help. I told Joan to get topside and start the engine while I pulled in the sails. We then turned around and got close, he had a 'Man Over Board' for about 30 minutes and told us he had thrown a life vest overboard to him but had lost sight of him. I got on the radio calling the Coast Guard on channels 16 and then 22 with no contact. Joan suggested a MAYDAY, so doing what I'm told I tried the MAYDAY on channel 16. Finally got some results. Told CG what was going on, with our position. They keep asking questions that only the buccaneer could answer so we had to keep going over to him. I called La Chasseuresse who was 1.5 nm away and told them what was going on and to get over here. En route he found a lift preserver with no one attached and about a minute later found a second with no one. Within about 15 minutes a Maryland state helicopter came on station and started searching. We also waved down a power boat who was towing a tuber who joined the search. Things that complicated this was the person still on the buccaneer was not sure where he went over and was giving conflicting directions. He stated that last time he had sight of him was toward shore clinging to a crab pot. “Do you know how many crab pots are out here?” Meanwhile all this information was being passed to CG and helicopter, Joan started searching every crab pot with the binoculars no joy. This was beginning not to look very promising. We were having trouble passing information with the buccaneer and CG because of the helicopter overhead – making to much noise. Joan who was up on the bow hollered she could hear someone screaming. Because of the dodger I couldn't hear very well forward and thought it was the guy in the buccaneer. About this time Joan spotted him about 200 yards just right of the bow. I called La Chasseuresse who spotted him within seconds and was able to get to him quicker. They pulled him from the water ALIVE.... This guy was LUCKY!!! He had been in cold water (70 deg) for about an hour. By this time we had two sailboats and three power boats in the search. A CG boat plus a state marine police were now on scene and taking over the rescue. We found out from La Chasseuresse that they had a oar go overboard and he had jumped in to get it. From this I get the feeling the guy in the buccaneer really didn't know how to sail very well since he couldn't keep in contact with him. NEVER mind neither one didn't have a preserver on, even after loosing one guy overboard, guess he threw both. I know this doesn't bode well with the discussion that has been going on about wearing preservers. I plan to call the CG on Monday to find out why they didn't respond until I called MAYDAY! Found him not where we expected. Very hard to see a head bobbing in the water with crab pots everywhere, never mind seeing a head. Nice weekend.... Something just occurred to me. As you are sailing around pay attention the guy waving at you, might not just be friendly wave! Jim S/V Java
