N the morning of June 14, 2016,
Robert Ewing, a member of Flotilla
10-20, also known as Air Station Caldwell, and his wife Jeanne left Port Jefferson NY at 0730 heading toward Block Island. The couple was relocating their new 37-foot Lord Nelson Tug from Maryland to Maine.
Bob has been a BQd member of the Auxiliary since 2002, and both Jeanne and Bob had recently taken the Coast Guard Auxiliary “About Boating Safety” class in anticipation of the purchase of a new vessel.
It was a clear but breezy morning. At 0949, about seven nautical miles off shore, Bob was sitting in the pilot house scanning the horizon when he spotted something odd ahead off the port side. “It looked peculiar, so I picked up a pair of binoculars to take a look,” said Bob who is also a well-trained observer in the air program. “It was a blowup rubber inflatable, the kind you buy for the beach,” and there was a man on board. Bob advised Jeanne that they were going to see if assistance was needed.
The man in the raft started waving an orange windbreaker. Bob realized the severity of the individual’s position and called Coast Guard Station Long Island Sound to tell them what they had found. Ewing also let the Coast Guard know it was their intention to bring the man on board.
As the Ewings came alongside, Jeanne went to work securing the flimsy raft to the side of the tug. The winds were very strong at this point, gusting to 25mph with 2- to 3-foot seas. Securing the raft was particularly difficult because everything was rocking and the two boats were of such drastically different sizes, but once the raft was secured from floating away, Jeanne and Bob were able to hoist its occupant aboard.
He told the couple that his name was Frank and that he had been in the raft for two days. Bob reported to the Coast Guard that the man was on board and that he was somewhat alert. “Jeanne let me know, as I was at the helm, that medical assistance was needed,” said Ewing, who let the Coast Guard know of the need for medical help. The Ewings treated Frank as one would for shock or hypothermia and dehydration, which turned out to be the diagnosis at the hospital later that day.
The Coast Guard dispatched a fast boat from New Haven CT and the Ewings were asked to proceed toward New Haven with the intent of meeting in the middle of the sound to pass the boater off. Jeanne and Bob hoisted the 10-foot inflatable on board and headed toward New Haven at 7.5 knots. They met up with the Coast Guard vessel, which pulled alongside the tug while they were still under way to make the transfer.
Frank and a companion had been to Silver Sands State Park in Milford CT to fish near Charles Island the previous day. They were both inexperienced boaters and had not brought signaling devices or left a float plan at their homes.
When their raft was taken off shore by the currents, neither of the men knew how to respond. The other occupant jumped into the water and swam to nearby Charles Island when the raft had floated by. He was able to get to Silver Sands when the tide fell and a sandbar allowed access.
Frank alerted the Coast about his friend, who was then found near his car in the park, also suffering from hypothermia and dehydration.
These two were very lucky to have survived and to have been assisted by Bob and Jeanne Ewing, who had taken an About Boating Safely class and knew how to respond and assist when he was in distress.
O