fisherman dies

[fishshack]

One dead as boat capsizes on Lake Ontario

A boating accident this morning on Lake Ontario has claimed the life of a Massachusetts man. State Police in Pulaski identified the dead man as Glenn R. Santos, 58, of Granby.

Troopers said Santos and Raymond J. Hanley of Mexico were fishing on Lake Ontario when their boat began taking on water and capsized. Fishermen responding to their radio distress call were able to pull Hanley onto their boat. Rescuers in a second boat held Santos above the water until the Coast Guard arrived.

The Coast Guard pulled Santos from the water and transported him to shore. He was taken by ambulance to Oswego Hospital, where he was pronounced dead.

[Landshark]

sad a reminder to us all

[InTheBox]

Thats a terrbile. What time this morning did this happen? We were out of the little salmon in the early am and didnt hear anything of this.

[big_fishman]

We heard the coastguard talking to the guy that rescued the man.

don't forget to pray for him, I only caugh tparts but is sounds like he tried to save him but could not.

[Artful Dodger]

I was setting up at the dock listening to the distress call at around 8:30am and the Coast guard were dispatching shortly after. From what I gathered on the radio they were located just west of the south dunes in 140 fow.

[fishshack]

More on this tragic story-

Man dies after boat capsizes

One man died Saturday morning after his fishing boat capsized in Lake Ontario about four miles west of North Pond in Sandy Creek. Nearby boaters rescued his friend.

Glenn R. Santos, 68, of 7 Leo Drive, Granby, Mass., was pronounced dead at Oswego Hospital.

His friend, Raymond Hanley, 68, of 16 Hurlbut Road, Mexico, in Oswego County, survived the sinking.

State police Investigator Scott Harrington said the two men left Brennan's Beach in Ellisburg Saturday in Santos' 26-foot Robalo boat to go fishing. He said the two were longtime acquaintances and frequently fished on Lake Ontario.

The boat developed engine trouble, Trooper Jon Pelton said, and began taking on water over the stern about 8 a.m. The Coast Guard later reported seas of 1 to 2 feet with winds of 10 to 15 mph at the time the boat sank. The water temperature was 71 degrees.

As the boat was sinking, Harrington said, Santos managed to send a distress call, which was received at 8:10 a.m. by the Coast Guard station in Oswego, then swam clear as the boat capsized.

Hanley clung to the overturned boat, while Santos grabbed a cooler to stay afloat.

Boaters who saw the boat sinking pulled Haley from the water, and one man swam to help Santos.

"When (he) swam over to him, (Santos) sank beneath the surface," Harrington said.

The investigator did not know how long Santos remained underwater, but boaters found him and, unable to lift him into their boat, held him beside the boat until a Coast Guard boat arrived.

The Coast Guard took Haley and Santos to Sandy Pond Marina and Campground. The crew performed CPR on Santos en route to shore.

Santos was taken by Northern Oswego County Ambulance to Oswego Hospital, where he was pronounced dead. The Onondaga County Medical Examiner's Office will perform an autopsy.

Hanley refused treatment, but was later taken by private vehicle to the hospital, where he was treated and released.

Harrington said the death appeared to be accidental. No charges were filed.

Boatswain's Mate 1st Class James Roddy said a salvage crew would be sent to retrieve the capsized boat.

[steelfire]

I hate to ask this and I'm not trying to be a jerk but how do you swamp and capsize a 26' boat in 1'to2 foot waves??? did they anchor into the waves?? I ask to learn not to criticize...... I only have a 20' boat and fish alone at times out of oswego and I don't want that happening to me!!!

[J.D.]

My guess would be a hole or rip in the bellows or some other component under the waterline allowing water to fill the bilge. The boat became "stern heavy" allowing 2 ft. waves to come over the transom. Once the stern gets full, a roll over is almost inevitable.

I fish alone out of a 17 footer and have put a LOT of thought into being safe. Self inflatable PFD's are a must on my boat. Hand held water proof VHF radio for backup, 2 big bilge pumps and 2 big batteries to run them.

I can't even put into words the feeling I get when something like this happens to someone in our "family"

http://www.docksidereports.com/small_boat_safety_at_sea.htm

Jim S.