|
|
 |
 |
by WIL CRUZ
A city fireboat sped through choppy waters off Pier 11 in the East River yesterday afternoon to rescue four people aboard a motorboat that had capsized.
The 21-foot Sea Pearl craft, which had departed from Liberty State Dock in Jersey City about 90 minutes earlier, turned over shortly before 3 p.m. south of the South Street Seaport, officials and the passengers said.
"It happened in the space of five seconds," said Irene Kim, 31, an attorney who lives in Jersey City and was a passenger on the boat.
"A gust of wind just comes up and ... " Kim added, snapping her fingers to emphasize the suddenness of the capsize.
All of the boat's occupants were wearing life jackets.
After their rescue, the passengers laughed and joked as they stood outside the stationhouse of Engine Company 4 and Ladder Company 15, across from Pier 11, where firefighters had taken them to recover.
The waters off lower Manhattan were calm one moment and wild the next, they said.
"It could have been a lot worse," said Seth Kramer, 33, a documentary filmmaker who was on board with his wife, Kristen, 30.
The owner of the boat, Jacob Asbury, 31, an accountant, said he purchased it just two weeks ago. He spent $100 on a VHF radio — the device he used yesterday to call for help.
"I feel justified to have paid $100 for the radio," Asbury said. "And I was lucky that it was clipped to my belt and not laying around somewhere else."
In about four minutes, the Fire Department's Marine One unit responded, Capt. Adam Simms said. At the time, Simms said, the wind was 30 mph and the current 14 mph; the water temperature was 53 degrees.
"We knew time was of the essence," Simms said. "It's very treacherous."
The motorboat's occupants were in the water for 10 to 15 minutes before Simms and two firefighters aboard Marine One, Paul Ruckdeschel and Barney Duffy, pulled them out.
"This went off like clockwork," Simms said. "If I were planning a drill, it couldn't have gone this well."
Copyright © 2004, Newsday, Inc.
 |
|
 |
 |
|
|
|
