Coast Guard aids boater who lost an oar in Bellingham Bay Wednesday morning
A 26-year-old man was treated for mild hypothermia Wednesday after he lost an oar in Bellingham Bay and his dinghy began drifting away from shore.
Around 9 a.m. on Jan. 23, the U.S. Coast Guard was called to a watercraft in distress off of Taylor Dock in Bellingham, according to Alexander Franzese, boatswain’s mate second class.
The man, who was in an 8-foot dinghy, was trying to row out to his boat anchored about a quarter-mile off of Taylor Dock when he lost one of his oars, Franzese said. The dinghy had a concrete anchor, which made the boat difficult to control, and the dinghy began drifting away from the shore, Franzese said.
A good Samaritan at The Chrysalis Inn & Spa saw the man and called 911, Franzese said. When the Coast Guard arrived, another good Samaritan in a nearby boat was pulled up alongside the man’s dinghy, attempting to help him, Franzese said. The man was about a half-mile away from shore, Franzese said.
The Coast Guard then took the man and his dinghy onboard. The man was treated for mild hypothermia then checked out and released by Bellingham Fire, Franzese said.
