Coast Guard rescues man in Patapsco River

BALTIMORE – The Coast Guard rescued a man aboard a disabled sailboat in the Patapsco River near the mouth of Bear Creek in Baltimore Wednesday.

Rescued was Allan Shapiro, of Baltimore.

Harley Armstrong, a Good Samaritan in the area, contacted Coast Guard Sector Baltimore watch standers via marine-band radio at 3:50 p.m., reporting a 24-foot sailboat out of control near the mouth of Bear Creek.

A 41-foot utility boat crew from Coast Guard Station Curtis Bay, Md., arrived on scene at 4:17 p.m.  A boat crew member was transferred to the sailboat to assist Shapiro in lowering the sails and reattaching a broken rudder.  Prior to the rescue boat crew’s departure, the sailboat suffered an engine casualty and was towed to Northwest Harbor Marina in Baltimore.

There were no reports of injury.

“Due to the Good Samaritan being able to provide an accurate position, the station was able to quickly locate the vessel and provide the necessary assistance,” said Petty Officer 1st Class James E. Morrison, a search and rescue coordinator at Sector Baltimore.

The Coast Guard urges mariners to outfit their boat with a functioning marine-band radio. Using channel 16 on a marine-band radio is the most reliable way to communicate a distress to search and rescue personnel in the event of an emergency while on the water.

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