A couple was rescued from the Chesapeake Bay after their sailboat collided with a tanker on August 17, but not until they had spent two hours in the water.
Kathleen and Todd Davis jumped from their 27-foot boat shortly before 3 a.m. near the Bay Bridge when they realized they were about to be struck by the ship. The tanker struck the sailboat and dragged it a short distance, but didn't sink the smaller vessel.
Maryland Natural Resources Police officers, summoned by the tanker crew, rescued the two shortly after 5 a.m., several miles from the collision scene.
The Davises were checked out by paramedics and were in good condition. The water temperature was in the upper 70s and both were wearing life jackets, police said.
The boat was under sail and the two were unable to start the boat's engine when they realized a collision was imminent, said John Surrick, a spokesman for the Department of Natural Resources.
The tanker, which was heading to Baltimore with a load of fuel oil, ran aground briefly as a result of the accident, Coast Guard Lt. Richard Frattarelli said. It was not damaged and none of the fuel spilled.
"As part of trying to avoid the collision, it was anchored and the stern drifted aground as it came around," he said. "But they've been able to float off."
The name of the couple's boat is "Many Blessings."
Posted: 8-23-2001
