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District Captain North Reginald Hollar, DCAPT-N From the mountains of South Carolina and Georgia, to the Atlantic Ocean and down the coast to east and central Florida lies the huge area of District 7 North. Geographical areas may be different, however, the mission is the same for all Auxiliary members. Support to the Coast Guard and the boating public is what we do, and do it well. A recent rescue in central Georgia is a prime example of our capabilities. On March 7, 2010 at 1700, Lynn and Chris Holdorf left Aqualand Marina on Lake Lanier on board their 28-foot Grady-White walk-around, Integrity, for an evening cruise. After cruising by the Coast Guard Auxiliary Operations Center, they headed out to Flowery Branch Creek. With Lynn below in the cabin, Chris noticed a small, outboard-powered canoe traveling at about 10 MPH being overtaken by a twenty-foot bowrider making a large wake. The canoe failed to slow down and created a wall of spray as it crossed the wake. The two fishermen in the canoe were drenched. The man in the bow of the canoe stood up which caused the small boat to capsize sending both men, neither wearing a life jacket, head first into the lake.
“The ground work is
in place for a banner year in 2010….With the tight budget that the Coast Guard will be working under in the future, Auxiliarists will see more and more opportunities to serve.”
Chris yelled down to Lynn, “Two men overboard, grab the life jackets.” Lynn scrambled up and immediately grabbed two throwable flotation cushions with lines attached and a docking pole. Speeding up, Chris relayed instructions that he would come alongside the men who were swimming directly towards them and they would take them onboard using the stern ladder. The fishing canoe continued under power and motored past the Holdorfs as they concentrated on getting to the swimmers as fast as possible without endangering them with the outboard engines. Coming within 10 feet of the overboard fishermen, Chris yelled to Lynn to deploy the ladder and throw the flotation devices to the men. The first cushion landed directly in front of one man, however, he was either disoriented or suffered loss of muscle skill due to the 46 degree water temperature. He yelled, “Help me, I can’t make it!” At that moment, Chris and Lynn both realized how much danger these guys were in. “They could drown even as we are reaching for them,” Chris thought. The second swimmer grabbed the flotation cushion. Chris extended the docking pole to the first man and dragged him to the ladder. Pulling him to the back of the boat Lynn and Chris hoisted the first man aboard and over the transom gate. Lynn wrapped the man in a blanket as Chris helped the other fisherman out of the water. “It probably took us three minutes to reach these two guys and another two minutes to actually get them into the boat,” Chris said. “I was so impressed with Lynn as she calmly readied to assist with flotation cushions and blankets.” While the Holdorfs were retrieving the two overboard fisherman, another passerby boat retrieved the motorized canoe and brought it alongside Integrity. The Holdorfs took the men to the Aqualand boat launch where they helped trailer the canoe and hurried the men into the warmth of their own truck. Having just watched a Canadian cold-water survival video and seeing how quickly people become disoriented, these men would not have lasted much longer swimming in heavy clothes and freezing cold water without life jackets. This incident demonstrates how quickly boating accidents can happen and how important it is to wear a life jacket.