Keeping Watch Over The Bay
It’s a cold, mid-winter morning and there is a thickening layer of ice on Cockrell’s Creek. But at the Smith Point Sea Rescue boathouse, there’s plenty of activity.

The crew aboard Rescue I has to be ready to rescue boaters in distress, all year round.
Volunteers are busy checking out Rescue I, the Canadian-built 42 foot Provincial that is the flagship of this volunteer organization’s two-vessel fleet. The cold and ice mean nothing to these volunteers. They have to be ready to go at a moments notice, regardless of the season or the weather.

As many boaters know, Chesapeake Bay can be a foreboding place when an on-water emergency occurs. That’s why it’s comforting to know that the Smith Point Sea Rescue is there when disaster strikes in the middle bay region.

The volunteer organization got its start in 1972 after two highly-publicized boating accidents near the mouth of the Potomac River. In one, two boaters died when their craft sank. In the second, a man and his two small children were rescued after their boat sank, but not before they spent 15 hours bobbing in the chilly waters.

Local physician Dr. Robert Beatley, who treated the survivors, saw the need for a source to provide emergency aid to boaters, at all hours of the day and night. Dr. Beatley and a group of local residents formed Smith Point Sea Rescue with a boat donated by a local family.

Today, Smith Point Sea Rescue is a thriving organization of about 30 members, and handles distress calls from Point Lookout, at the mouth of the Potomac, to Windmill Point, at the mouth of the Rappahannock. Much like a volunteer fire department, the Sea Rescue is on call seven days a week, 24 hours a day. Rescue I is equipped with radio, radar, GPS, radio direction finder, chart plotter, depth sounder, battery charger and pump system, giving the volunteers the tools they need to carry out a rescue. When the weather is cold, there is extra safety gear to protect the crew.

“The Coast Guard gave us these survival suits, which provide protection in the worst winter conditions,” said volunteer Buddy Sylvia.

The Sea Rescue takes calls for all types of emergencies, some of them more serious than others. In many cases they are called out to help a boater who has run aground, or who has experienced engine trouble. Often, the Sea Rescue is called on to help the U.S. Coast Guard search for missing or overdue craft. They run about 60 to 65 rescue missions each year.

When in trouble, boaters can summon the Sea Rescue by calling for help over channel 16, or calling 911. Once the stricken boater has been towed to port, members also help with transportation, food, repairs and lodging. There’s never any charge for this service, but the organization does have to raise money to operate. That fundraising effort is eagerly anticipated in the Northern Neck each year, as it has become an institution.

In March, the Smith Point Sea Rescue holds its annual oyster roast, this year on March 5. Then, in June, they sponsor the annual Reed ville Blue Fish Derby, a fishing tournament paying big-money prizes and drawing local anglers, as well as those from throughout the East Coast.

The Smith Point Sea Rescue is a non-profit organization that receives no federal, state or local government financial assistance, and contributions are tax deductible.

Boaters in distress will testify that there is no more beautiful sight than spotting Rescue I plowing through the chop on a stormy Chesapeake Bay, coming to their rescue. And for the unpaid, all-volunteer crew onboard, there’s no better feeling as well.

“The best part of being in the sea rescue is being able to help boaters, getting them to safe ground,” Buddy said.