Three Teens Saved from Capsized Vessel
Marine Deputy James Hager found and rescued three Orange County, California teens today from a capsized vessel offshore of Little Torch Key.
The boys, 18 year old Zachary and 16 year old Jacob Sowder and 18 year old Brent Shishido, were on board a 22 foot rental boat about 2.5 miles off of the ocean side. They were anchored in about 30 feet of water when their boat started taking on water. By the time they got the anchor line cut, the boat had taken on too much water and capsized.
Fortunately, they managed to climb on top of the hull and one of them had a cell phone. They were able to call 911 and relay their approximate location. Deputy Hager had just pulled his Sheriff’s Office patrol boat out of the water and had finished cleaning it when he heard the call over his police radio at about 3:15 p.m. He quickly put the boat back in the water.
He and Fish and Wildlife Investigator David Bingham, who was with him, responded to the reported location. They spent some time looking, but they found the three boys and loaded them on board the patrol boat, bringing them safely back to shore.
The kids’ story never made sense to me. How does an anchored boat take on water unless it has a hole in it, and why cut an anchor line if you are taking on water? Did they have it anchored off on the stern? Why? This just doesn’t make any sense at all.
I question why a rental company would rent to an 18 year old. Sounds like they ran out of rope and perhaps high tide was coming. Unskilled and dam near got them killed.