Coast Guard Tows Disabled Boat off Cape May

Posted by Eric Haun November 13, 2013

A crew member throws a heaving line to another Coast Guard member who is aboard a disabled boat Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2013. The Coast Guard towed the 44-foot catamaran after the boat lost steering approximately six miles offshore from Cape May Inlet. (USCG photo by Petty Officer 2nd Class James Pappas)

The U.S. Coast Guard towed a disabled catamaran with one person aboard Tuesday after the boat lost steering approximately six miles offshore from Cape May Inlet.

Watchstanders at Coast Guard Station Cape May received a mayday call from the captain of the 44-foot Empire State reporting the boat lost steering, and the man needed assistance.

A 45-foot Response Boat ─ Medium crew from the station responded, and once on scene, took Empire State into a 300-foot stern tow. While in tow, the boat’s operator and a station crewmember manually steered the boat through six- to eight-foot waves.

"The boater made this case smooth," said Petty Officer 2nd Class James Pappas, a Station Cape May crewmember. "He had a VHF-FM radio aboard; therefore, he was able to hail the Coast Guard, which enabled us to provide a quick response and communicate with him until we arrived on scene. Our crew worked flawlessly together and demonstrated great team work."

The Empire State was anchored near the Coast Guard Training Center in Cape May.

uscgnews.com