30' Donzi on the bottom
 

Here is another complete disregard for Mother Nature. What were these guy's thinking. 9-12 footers in an 30' boat ?????.


Lifeguards recall rescue off Point Beach



Published in the Asbury Park Press 9/02/02
By GREGORY J. VOLPE
TOMS RIVER BUREAU
POINT PLEASANT BEACH -- Battling currents, winds and waves up to 12 feet high, three lifeguards had only one thought as they made the most dramatic rescue of their careers Saturday night: helping the victims.

Jenkinson's Beach Lifeguards Michael Herman, 21, of Point Pleasant Beach, Assistant Capt. Vincent Dallicardillo, 30, Toms River, and Sgt. Michael McGee, 25, of Brick, swam more than 200 yards in rough conditions at 4:55 p.m. Saturday to save the lives of two boaters.

"It was pretty hairy," Herman, the lead rescuer, said yesterday. "I was pretty calm about everything. I've never seen anything like it before. It was very exciting. I loved it. I'd do it over and over."

Herman was working his last shift of the season Saturday, before heading back to the University of Delaware where he is a senior physical education major. He saw the 31 foot Donzi speed boat take on water after crashing down a wave. When the boat capsized, he radioed for help and headed to help the victims.

Dallicardillo and McGee, who had come from other parts of the beach, followed Herman into the water to help the boaters.

"When you're more than 200 yards off shore, that's more of a Coast Guard or State Police thing," Dallicardillo said. "But we weren't sure who had contacted them or how long it would be, so we went out instinctively, I guess."

With the wind, rip currents, and waves that ranged from 9 to 12 feet, the rescue reminded Dallicardillo of scenes from "The Perfect Storm."

"It was pretty cool," he said. "It was a neat experience. It's exciting, a good way to go out for the season."

When Herman reached the victims, he used a floating torpedo to stabilize two of them: a 33-year-old man and a 16-year-old boy, whom Coast Guard officials are not identifying. The boat's operator, Stephen M. Egan, 34, of Point Pleasant, was being pulled onto the 47-foot Coast Guard Cutter when the lifeguards arrived.

"It was just kind of get in and get there and then kind of hang out and wait just to make sure the victims are secure," McGee said.

The Cutter, manned by Petty Officers Paul Ashley, Peter Hanners, Joshua Hagan, David Welsh and an unidentified sea cadet, then pulled in the other two victims and the three lifeguards who monitored the victims' conditions while they returned to shore. The victims received cuts and bruises when the boat capsized, but none was hospitalized.

The whole episode took 15 minutes, McGee said.

Dean Albanese, lifeguard captain at Jenkinson's, said he was proud of his squad, whom he called heroic.

"They get pumped up for things like that, that's what they're there for," he said. "They were pretty pumped that they saved someone's life. They're definitely heroes, just to go out in those waves. I'm glad they're on my staff. I'm very proud of them."

The cause of the capsize remains under investigation, but authorities believe it was because of extremely rough conditions that lead to a heavy surf advisory and small craft advisory for the entire Jersey Shore.

Theres an old saying,,, stupidity cures itself !!!! Just dont take a kid with you. Now, if the got caught in this and were just trying to get home, they have my sincerest apologies. But if they went out in that to screw around, well then....................

Wow!...there's an Egan Racing that runs in the Point races..with a 27-29(?) Donzi..they won P5 class a few weeks ago...

Hope it wasn't them..:(

Nice Job by the Guards!! :cool:

Marty,

I here it was "Club Egan", a 28' Donzi with twin small blocks. :(

Wow I wasnt expecting it to be anexperienced boater.......
Does anyone know what happend? Please forgive my hesitance in accepting or believing anything the Newspaper has to say

:rolleyes:

Trust Me Chris he may race in a local race, He is not that expierenced! Anyone that tested the Ocean on Saturday in my mind has no buisness boating 12ft waves N/E winds and 20ft holes is no place for a 28ft boat.

Bad water
 

I was out for a couple of hours Saturday am (31' sport fish), and had to call it a day when the girls started throwing up. I was about 3 miles from where this boat went down. I also stopped by the Roar at the Shore for a bit. The boaters had just gotten back from a poker run, and mentioned that it was pretty hairy. As for the paper getting the story right, i dont think Donzi has ever made a 31' boat. Maybe its that 28' with a helluva swim platform :p .

Troutly I have to agree with ya. Anything to glorify the accident. I was out in the "perfect storm" surfing and windsurfing in the waves and let me tell ya this weekend although it was rough was NOTHING like that. I would call the 10-12's that they were saying 4-5's as was relayed by my surfer friends. That is still a decent size wave fore sure but they really seemed to try hard to glorify the life guards on this one. Don't get me wrong they did a great job and deserve a pat on the back for swimming out with out thinking of their own safty!!! :D:D

Jonf

Oh well, one less boat for the NYC race.

RonP, Can you confirm??? Is that the boat that sunk???:confused: Just curious.....:(