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A Hermiston man was rescued after his sailboat ran aground near Reed Island on the Columbia River on Wednesday, Jan. 6.
A sailboat helmed by Mark Richard Flaiz, 23, of Hermiston, ran aground on a sand bar near the island, which is north of Corbett on the evening of Tuesday, Jan. 5. When Flaiz realized he couldn’t free the boat, he gathered supplies he had on board and went to shore, where he camped for the night.
The Multnomah County Sheriff's Office River Patrol Unit responded to a call of a stranded boater in the area. Dispatchers made contact with the boater on his cell phone.
Rescue swimmers had to swim approximately 100 yards in 38-degree water with 4- to 5-foot wakes to reach the shore. They hiked approximately 2 miles before they were able to locate Flaiz, who was on the east end of the island.
The rescue crew hiked with the boater back through dense forest and swam him out to the waiting river patrol boat. Conditions were treacherous with high wind, waves and heavy current and the patrol boat had to maintain a precarious position near shallow water under the water shelf.
Flaiz, who was on his maiden voyage, did not require medical attention.
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Re: Hermiston man rescued after boat ran ashore in Columbia
This is a great story about East County's marine wilderness. A bit over the top, but people will get a better feeling for the Columbia River's potential for danger. Winds can quickly whip a mirror-like surface into whitecaps that can easily swamp or capsize small boats. A dredged and well-maintained channel exists for large commercial vessels, but the switch from navigable depth to !!!SANDBAR!!! is quick and unforgiving. Worse, a novice simply cannot tell where the change takes place by looking at the surface.
Kudos to the rescue crew and also Mr. Flaiz who's self-preservation skills kept his epic adventure out of the obituaries.
"Arrrgh Matey"
(email verified)
Wed, Jan 13, 2010 at 04:28 PM