A husband and wife are thankful to be alive after their boat was grounded on a sandbar.Dan Barnickel said it happened near the Jupiter Inlet in Florida the morning of Feb. 15, when lifeguards with Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue were alerted to the stranded sailboat.“They noticed a boat run aground on the sandbar, about 300 yards for shore, and they contacted them on VHF. We have a VHF through our boat rescue program at Jupiter and the lieutenant that spoke to them on VHF was told it was a May Day and they were going to abandon the vessel,” he said.Barnickel, with Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue, said the conditions on the water were a major concern.“It was six-foot seas. It was a very dangerous situation because the boat was aground. There was a lot of debris all around, and it was a 48-year-old female and a 54-year-old male, both husband and wife, on their sailboat, and they were terrified,” Barnickel said.Lifeguards quickly got in the water, two on rescue board and two on wave runners, and headed towards the boat.“They got them safely off the vessel from the rescue boards onto the RWC , which has a sled on the back. Our lifeguards brought them close to shore, and then two other lifeguards went out and brought them the rest of the way in,” Barnickel explained.The husband and wife were thankfully okay.“They told a crew from Setow that the lifeguards saved their life, and they thought they were going to die. They were getting ready to abandon the vessels. It was a very dangerous situation,” Barnickel said.Barnickel said not only was the situation dangerous for the couple, but it was also risky for rescuers.“The big concern is the boat or debris from the boat getting pushed in the wave and hitting one of our rescuers,” he said.He said this incident is proof of how a quiet day at the beach can become an emergency.“It can be quiet and then it can go from life and death, and it can happen very quickly,” Barnickel said.While the roughly 40-foot boat eventually sank, Barnickel said he’s just glad no one was hurt.As for the role ocean rescue played in the incident, Barnickel said it highlights why full-time lifeguards are essential in South Florida. Not only does he say it cuts down on response times, but it also helps with the type of response they provide.“That’s their bread and butter,” he said. “That’s what they do every day, and they get better and better as they do it. So being able to retain somebody that’s been working a full-time career for a decade or more, that’s essential for the success of our agency.”He also explained that most of their full-time staff members are also EMTs. However, he said they often hear some misconceptions about ocean rescue from the public.“Oftentimes when these rescues occur, they see a wave runner, they see boards, they see rescue, and they assume it’s the Coast Guard or fire rescue when, in fact, it’s the lifeguards from these beach towers,” Barnickel added.The area where this happened is known locally for being a fairly dangerous inlet and Barnickel said local knowledge is extremely important.“Local knowledge is key. We’ve got some of the most dangerous inlets in the country, Jupiter inlet being one of them. Our lifeguards patrol those inlets. We’re here, and we can see what’s going on. The Jupiter inlet, the lifeguard tower, is right there, so when a vessel gets in trouble trying to come in the inlet, we’re usually the first to see it and the first on the scene because of our proximity. So local knowledge is key,” he said.More information on Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue and the role staff play in the area can be found on their website.
A husband and wife are thankful to be alive after their boat was grounded on a sandbar.
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Dan Barnickel said it happened near the Jupiter Inlet in Florida the morning of Feb. 15, when lifeguards with Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue were alerted to the stranded sailboat.
“They noticed a boat run aground on the sandbar, about 300 yards for shore, and they contacted them on VHF. We have a VHF through our boat rescue program at Jupiter and the lieutenant that spoke to them on VHF was told it was a May Day and they were going to abandon the vessel,” he said.
Barnickel, with Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue, said the conditions on the water were a major concern.
“It was six-foot seas. It was a very dangerous situation because the boat was aground. There was a lot of debris all around, and it was a 48-year-old female and a 54-year-old male, both husband and wife, on their sailboat, and they were terrified,” Barnickel said.
Lifeguards quickly got in the water, two on rescue board and two on wave runners, and headed towards the boat.
“They got them safely off the vessel from the rescue boards onto the RWC [rescue watercraft], which has a sled on the back. Our lifeguards brought them close to shore, and then two other lifeguards went out and brought them the rest of the way in,” Barnickel explained.
The husband and wife were thankfully okay.
“They told a crew from Setow that the lifeguards saved their life, and they thought they were going to die. They were getting ready to abandon the vessels. It was a very dangerous situation,” Barnickel said.
Barnickel said not only was the situation dangerous for the couple, but it was also risky for rescuers.
“The big concern is the boat or debris from the boat getting pushed in the wave and hitting one of our rescuers,” he said.
He said this incident is proof of how a quiet day at the beach can become an emergency.
“It can be quiet and then it can go from life and death, and it can happen very quickly,” Barnickel said.
While the roughly 40-foot boat eventually sank, Barnickel said he’s just glad no one was hurt.
As for the role ocean rescue played in the incident, Barnickel said it highlights why full-time lifeguards are essential in South Florida. Not only does he say it cuts down on response times, but it also helps with the type of response they provide.
“That’s their bread and butter,” he said. “That’s what they do every day, and they get better and better as they do it. So being able to retain somebody that’s been working a full-time career for a decade or more, that’s essential for the success of our agency.”
He also explained that most of their full-time staff members are also EMTs. However, he said they often hear some misconceptions about ocean rescue from the public.
“Oftentimes when these rescues occur, they see a wave runner, they see boards, they see rescue, and they assume it’s the Coast Guard or fire rescue when, in fact, it’s the lifeguards from these beach towers,” Barnickel added.
The area where this happened is known locally for being a fairly dangerous inlet and Barnickel said local knowledge is extremely important.
“Local knowledge is key. We’ve got some of the most dangerous inlets in the country, Jupiter inlet being one of them. Our lifeguards patrol those inlets. We’re here, and we can see what’s going on. The Jupiter inlet, the lifeguard tower, is right there, so when a vessel gets in trouble trying to come in the inlet, we’re usually the first to see it and the first on the scene because of our proximity. So local knowledge is key,” he said.
More information on Palm Beach County Ocean Rescue and the role staff play in the area can be found on their website.
