Cooperative Living June 2024 - 14

COOPERATIVE FOCUS
Called to Serve
(continued fr om page 11)
" When the sea rescue people
showed up, they deployed an interesting
technique: because my boat is a trawler
tug design, it has a huge area where it
can be pulled. Th ey had one boat pulling
it back off the rocks, and a smaller
boat was circling, creating a wake that
made the boat rise and lower - it was
brilliant. Th e boat was in full reverse,
the wake was bumping it up and down
- and it came free. "
WHEN EVERY SECOND
COUNTS
Th e organization's most publicized
rescue to date occurred in April 2023
when a call came from the sheriff 's offi ce
regarding a 50-foot yacht with eight
passengers taking on water near Buoy
62 in the Bay. Quentin Haynie saved
the messages on his cellphone, replaying
the second call that came only minutes
later: " Th e vessel in distress has sunk.
Eight people are in the water. "
Gwaltney says " people in the water "
calls are the most dreaded by volunteers.
A crew including Gwaltney, Pete Ortiz,
Bill Turville and Quentin Haynie sped
out of Cockrell Creek " on wide open
throttle " on Rescue I, a Sea Rescue
42-foot Provincial rescue craſt . Th e
water temperature was 49 degrees in
early April, with 2- to 3-feet seas aſt er a
morning of strong winds. Life-jacketed
people fl oating in the cold, rough waters
were largely hidden by waves, Gwaltney
remembers.
Reedville, Va.
Eight people found themselves in
dangerously cold water off Virginia's
Northern Neck in 2023 after their
50-foot yacht began taking on water.
Right, rescue volunteers keep one of
the rescued boaters warm.
Fortunately, one of the passengers
had grabbed a handheld radio as the
yacht sank. Th e radio operator was able
to guide Rescue I to the group's location.
By this time, they had been in the water
for nearly an hour and several were
already suff ering from hypothermia.
Th e crew administered fi rst aid as Rescue
I rushed across the Bay to Ingram Bay
Marina, where they were met by three
Northumberland County rescue squads
and EMS workers.
" Th at whole thing was like an act
of God, " volunteer Dwight Hassler
remembers. " Th ere were two licensed
Coast Guard captains on board; one
was a retired Coast Guard member. "
It was later discovered that the yacht
leſt earlier that morning from Virginia
Beach with its new owners on board,
en route to what was to be the yacht's
new home in New Jersey. Haynie says,
" Seeing those people in the water for
the fi rst time ... it can't really be put
into words. "
GETTING ON BOARD
Having now reached its 50th year
in existence, Smith Point Sea Rescue
shows no signs of slowing down. Hassler
admits the group's largest challenge
remains recruiting new volunteers.
Gwaltney says volunteer criteria
are simple: " You must live within 20
12 * Cooperative Living * June 2024
minutes of our service area, be available,
and be 18 years old or older. Volunteers
also must have a Virginia Boater's
Safety Certifi cation and a Boater Safety
Education Certifi cate. " Having EMS
training and CPR certifi cation is also
an asset.
Current president Pete Ortiz says
rescue training includes " practical
towing, basic seamanship and boat
handling. Everybody should be trained
as a backup sea captain. "
Brent Stansbury, one of the
team's newer members who joined in
September 2023, says, " I originally
came as an observer. It's like on-the-job
training. "
Stansbury says he's been a part-time
member of the Reedville community
since his teenage years and moved to
the area full-time last year. About 90%
of the volunteers are retired or semiretired
and most say that giving back
to the community was their motivation
for joining Smith Point Sea Rescue.
*
In recognition of the group's 50th anniversary,
writer Ann Eichenmuller is penning a new book,
There When Needed: A History of Smith Point
Sea Rescue (High Tide Publications, 2024).
For more information,
visit smithpointsearescue.com.
co-opliving.com
PHOTO COURTESY BECKY HAYNIE
http://www.smithpointsearescue.com http://www.co-opliving.com
Cooperative Living June 2024

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Cooperative Living June 2024
