Editor’s note: A thank you letter from the rescued party follows this article.  The letter was sent to Commander Scott Rogerson, USCG, Director of Auxiliary, 5^th Coast Guard District, Northern Region thanking him for the actions of the named Auxiliarists who participated in the life saving event.  The letter writer gave permission to reproduce the letter.

Rescue workers and Auxiliary crew helping the family

After a day of shopping at the “Shipyard Shops” in Delaware, a family of 2 adults and 3 children headed back home to Pennsgrove, NJ in a 19 foot motorized canoe.  After leaving the calmer waters of the Christina River the family realized that the Delaware River, a major leg of their route home, was too rough.  They soon attempted to turn around.

Their canoe was swamped by the 3 to 4 foot waves and then capsized.   The three children, who were wearing life jackets, were placed on the top of the overturned canoe and were held there by their father and grandfather.  Prior to capsizing they realized that they were imminent danger and they called 911 on their cell phone.

The 911 dispatcher called Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay which then broadcast an emergency message of the “overturned boat with 5 people on board (POB) in the Delaware River near the Christina River.”

An Auxiliary boat crew consisting of Harold “Robby” Robinson (49), Carol Owens (14), R. Alan Lindsay (44), and Susan Fitzgerald (18) quickly went into action and proceeded to the scene.   Maryanne Rice (14) was standing radio watch.

The Auxiliary crew located the capsized canoe in the water just off the Delmarva Power Plant in Edgemoor, Delaware.   The family was in the water for approximately 30 minutes and starting to fatigue.  The Auxiliarists pulled the victims from the water and wrapped them in blankets. 

Fire Department with salvaged canoe.

They were transported back to the Search and Rescue Detachment (SARDET), Wilmington, DE where they were checked out by medical personnel. One of the crew members, a registered nurse, checked out the grandfather while in route to the SARDET.  No one sustained any injuries.

The swamped canoe was up-righted and towed to SARDET Wilmington by a boat crew from the Holloway Terrace Fire Company.   The rescued people were given dry clothes and transported to their home by a member of the Auxiliary boat crew. The owner later returned to Wilmington and retrieved the canoe and transported it back to Pennsgrove.

The Auxiliary crew’s quick response helped save the lives of 5 people.

August 31st, 2006

Scott D. Rogerson Commander, USCG

1 Washington Avenue Philadelphia, PA 19147

Dear Commander Rogerson:

I am writing with deep gratitude to thank you for the life saving services that the Coast Guard provided for our family on Saturday, August 26th. What a wonderful sight it was to see the Coast Guard boat approaching the five of us who were in the Delaware River clinging desperately to the bottom of an overturned boat and praying for help! With 3 children, ages 2, 6, and 9; it was a struggle for my son and I to keep the group together and hang onto the boat. Exhaustion was taking its toll and I don't know how much longer we could have held on. God used your services to save our lives!

(L to r) Janet, Timmy, J. Lowell, Rebecca and Josh Wenger

My wife, Janet, and I were in Penns Grove to visit our son James Wenger, his wife Melani, and the three children, Joshua (9), Rebecca (6), and Timothy (2). This was our last visit to their home there before they leave for mission work in central Asia. James and I decided to take the 3 children across the Delaware on a 19 foot seanoe, a canoe with a flat rear transom for the 5 horsepower motor. The trip to Wilmington went fine although the water was a little rough, and we had fun shopping and eating lunch along the Christina River. When we were ready to head back for New Jersey about 1:45 pm, the wind had picked up some, but we thought the waves would still be okay. We decided to head out to the mouth of the river and assess the situation there. Unknown to us, the waves had risen dramatically due to the currant (sic) going up the river and the wind going down the river. As we came out of the Christina River into the Delaware, we were suddenly facing waves at least 3 feet high, and were afraid to turn around because of the probability of capsizing if the waves caught us broadside! Looking back, we were very foolish to attempt that trip with the increased wind. And we were especially careless in leaving one of the adult life preservers lying on the shore when we got in the boat! We almost paid for those mistakes with our lives.

As we hit the big waves, James told me to call for the Coast Guard for help. I dialed 911, was connected to the Wilmington fire department, gave them the location, yelled that we had children with us and we were capsizing (which we did just at that moment!). A few seconds later we would not have been able to call, and no one would have known we were out there! The experience in the water was frightening for us all. As we were hanging onto the two younger children and the slippery boat bottom, we were praying together aloud that the Coast Guard would get there in time.

James managed to release the motor from the boat so that it would not drag the boat down; but as the boat settled deeper in the water we were afraid that the old foam flotation might not be sufficient. I was the one without a life jacket, and knew that as a poor swimmer I probably could not get back to the boat or the shore if we got separated. And of course we were especially concerned about hanging onto the children. The pounding waves made the efforts exhausting.

The arrival of your boat felt like a miracle, and Robby Robinson, Alan Lindsay, Carol Owens, and Sue (Fitzgerald) got us into the boat and wrapped us in warm blankets as they headed for shore. We appreciate their care so much. They kept checking our condition and comforting us all. The ambulance was there to greet us, but found us in stable condition; and Alan Lindsay was kind enough to take us back to our vehicle in Penns Grove. James and I rejoiced with our wives and thanked God with the children!

Front Row: J. Lowell, Timmy, Josh, Rebecca and Janet Wenger; Back Row Auxiliarists Carol Owens, Harold “Robby” Robinson, Susan Fitzgerald, and R. Alan Lindsay

Thank you so very much for all the work that you and the others do for safety on the waterways! We are prime examples of the crucial difference it makes. Please thank each of the volunteers on that boat, and in your Sector Delaware Bay.

James is contacting the local newspaper about this rescue. You are welcome to use our story in any way that would be helpful. Let us know if there is anything we can do to further express our appreciation or to assist in your efforts.

May God Bless You All!!

s/

J. Lowell Wenger (for James, Josh, Rebecca, & Timmy)