Coast Guard, Virginia Marine Police and tugboat Maverick rescue sinking sailor

Coast Guard reminds people to stay off water after Hurricane Irene

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The Coast Guard is urging residents and mariners to stay off the water Sunday and Monday after Hurricane Irene and to refrain from swimming at local beaches and in tidal rivers. Tropical storm-force winds and heavy rainfall may have resulted in strong currents, marine debris and hazards to navigation. Additionally, Coast Guard [...]

Coast Guard responds to lost, disabled sailing vessel

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The Coast Guard is responding Wednesday to a call from the lost operator of the sailing vessel Lancastrian, approximately 340 miles east of Atlantic City, N.J. The boat’s operator called the Coast Guard 5th District command center to request assistance after becoming confused about his current position. The owner was traveling from Little Creek, Va., to Scotland when he [...]

Almost Free Diving – Part II

Last month, I shared the most affordable way to start diving without expensive and complicated equipment. Free diving which is also called snorkeling is easy to do for anyone who can swim. My four year old son, John actually learned to swim when he put a mask and snorkel on at the edge of a [...]

Sometimes it time for Plan B

By Cap’n Larry Jarboe The Chesapeake The warm spell that we experienced last month in February almost convinced me to de-winterize my boat and head up to the warm water discharge canal at the Chalk Point Power Plant on the Patuxent River. The thought of cranking in a nice mess of ten pound channel catfish [...]

Get your gear in gear now for fishing and boating enjoyment this season

When our kids take a nap, we usually poke our heads in every now and then to see how they’re doing right? So why should it be any different when we put our boats and fishing gear away for the winter? Rockfish season will be here before we know it! And between now and then [...]

Spring Cleaning: turn your trash into cash!

Capt. Greg Buckner’s boat has been up on blocks in Solomon’s Island for much of this winter. Like so many other charter captains and recreational boater’s, Capt. Greg will be using the warm weather transition that the month of March generally affords us to prep his boat for the first day of Spring Rockfish Season [...]

Ready to Rock!

    April is striper time in Southern Maryland waters and there is a lot to get ready before the big post-spawn rockfish begin their travels through fishing locales anglers and charterboat captains are familiar with. The 2011 spring was more seasonally predictable than in previous years, so timing could be in favor of opening [...]

Coast Guard rescues woman in Potomac near Key Bridge

BALTIMORE — Coast Guard Station Washington, D.C., crewmembers rescued a woman from the Georgetown Channel near the Francis Scott Key Bridge in Washington, D.C., after her single-person vessel capsized Sunday. Rescued was Jenie Upchurch, 61, from Arlington, Va. D.C. Metro Police contacted Coast Guard Sector Baltimore watchstanders at 11:56 a.m. to report that a woman had fallen from a [...]

Beneath the Surface: Chapter Three

By Larry Jarboe THE CHESAPEAKE The warm wet wake-up kiss on his forehead was a pleasant introduction to the greater challenge of arising from the dressing chair that he had fallen asleep in. Sharp stabs of pain radiated from the small of his back as Commissioner Largent pushed himself to his feet on slightly shaking [...]