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From: Ron Rogers (no email)
Date: Mon May 22 2006 - 18:20:37 EDT
Distracted powerboater crashes into Bay Bridge
By VANESSA FRANKO, Staff Writer
An Annapolis man crashed his 42-foot powerboat into
the Bay Bridge Saturday, apparently distracted by a
conversation with a woman while crossing under the
bridge, Coast Guard officials said.
No one was injured when Peter Yeskel smacked the SS
Kelsey into a piling along the center span of the
westbound bridge, although the collision caused
significant damage to the boat.
"I haven't seen one like this before," said SeaTow
Central Chesapeake owner Dave DuVall, who helped pump
water out of the boat before it limped back to port.
The crash was one in a spate of incidents on the water
this weekend that kept rescue agencies busy and sent
one person to the hospital. Also on Saturday, a boat
sank off Kent Island, and yesterday the crew of a
catamaran had to be rescued after it capsized on the
South River.
Petty Officer Liam Walmsley, of Coast Guard Station
Annapolis, said that the SS Kelsey crashed into the
center of the Bay Bridge at 5:18 p.m. on Saturday,
severely damaging the bow. Winds on Saturday were at
15 knots with waves at 1 foot.
The ocean motor yacht hit the 26th piling of the
westbound span at 18 mph. In addition to Mr. Yeskel,
59, only one passenger was aboard.
When the Coast Guard arrived on scene at 5:37 p.m., a
good Samaritan had gotten the woman off the vessel.
Hamilton Gale, owner of TowBoatU.S. Annapolis/Ann Bay
Towing, arrived on the scene and helped the Coast
Guard and SeaTow pump out water. He said boats
occasionally hit the bridge, but this time it was
almost a head-on collision.
"It's the only one I can remember in recent history
that almost sank out in the bay," he said.
After water was pumped out, Mr. Yeskel was able to
turn the engine on and get to
Back Creek by 7 p.m.
"Everybody was safe. There was no injury," Mr. Yeskel
said this morning.
"The boat's damaged but it's OK."
No citations have been issued in the collision, but
state Natural Resources Police are investigating. A
police spokesman confirmed that there was significant
damage to the boat, but said the bridge was
unaffected.
Maryland Transportation Authority officials could not
be reached for comment on the crash, but there was
apparently no disruption to bridge traffic above the
accident site.
Also on Saturday, four men were stranded after their
fishing boat filled with water near Kent Island, said
Kent Island Fire Company Capt. Mike Jarboe.
The men were fishing on the 17-foot boat when the
bilge pump failed. Waves started pushing water into
the boat around 4 p.m. The men put on life jackets and
held onto the boat.
One of the boat's passengers, Lucky Carlo Tulenan, of
Silver Spring, tried to swim to shore for help. He
then swam back to the boat.
He was taken to Shock-Trauma Center at University
Hospital in Baltimore where he was treated for
hypothermia.
Capt. Jarboe said they were able to drift toward the
Matapeake area where they were helped from the water
by two passersby on jet skis.
Sgt. Ken Turner, Natural Resources Police spokesman,
said there was a 13-year-old boy on the boat, along
with vessel owner Yusuf Waiman of Bethesda and another
man from Rockville.
By yesterday, the bay had roughed a bit as winds
ranged up to 20 knots with gusts up to 30 knots and
waves at 2 feet.
Coast Guard crews were called to the South River
around Turkey Point at 5:30 p.m., where they found two
men hanging onto a 15-foot catamaran that capsized,
Petty Officer Walmsley said.
The Coast Guard arrived at 5:36 p.m. and had the men,
each of whom was hanging onto a side of the boat, out
of the water by 5:38 p.m.
Petty Officer Walmsley said that the men were in the
water for about 20 minutes total and that they were
wearing lifejackets. Nobody was injured in the
incident.
He said that a friend of the sailors later towed the
boat away. Petty Officer Walmsley said the high winds
contributed to capsizing the boat.
"When we broadcast our small craft advisories, there's
a reason for that," he said. "The rivers may seem calm
but the bay picks up and gets real choppy."
Staff writer Nicole Young contributed to this story.
The Capital
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