Grounded boat towed from Lewes beach

A 40-foot sailboat that ran aground near the Cape May-Lewes Ferry terminal during a storm late Nov. 9 is now sitting damaged in the Anglers Marina. 

Boatswain’s Mate Second Class Collin Snovell, a member of the Coast Guard team out of Indian River that responded to the incident, said a collaborative effort involving the Coast Guard and the Lewes fire boat resulted in the rescue of two people aboard the beached boat, Margaritaville, about 11 p.m., Nov. 9. 

Snovell said parent command in Philadelphia coordinated the rescue effort, calling for both the Lewes fire boat and the Coast Guard to respond on the water while a helicopter was scrambled from Atlantic City, N.J.

Once the helicopter and fire boat were on scene, Snovell said, a swimmer was lowered from the helicopter onto the fire boat. He then swam to the grounded boat, where he took each person to the nearby Lewes beach. No injuries were reported. 

The following day, Coast Guard officials inspected the boat and determined no pollution had occurred. 

The boat was then towed by Delaware Tow Boat US to the Anglers Marina on the Lewes-Rehoboth Canal.

Pilot Point resident Ed Kingman said the boat was anchored about 100 yards offshore earlier Nov. 9. It is suspected that strong overnight winds may have run the boat ashore close to the rock jetty west of the ferry terminal.