Runaway boat corralled in West Neck Harbor
Shelter Island police officers aboard a marine patrol vessel keep an eye on a runaway boat as it spins in circles between Wades Beach and Shell Beach Tuesday evening after the operator fell overboard. The 20-foot boat was brought under control after about 30 minutes and the operator, who swam to safety, was charged with boating while ability impaired by alcohol.
A 20-foot unoccupied center console boat spun in circles at high speeds in West Neck Harbor for about a half an hour Tuesday evening after the operator apparently fell overboard, the Shelter Island Police reported.
A 21-year-old Lloyd Harbor man, who had swum to safety on shore to Shell Beach, was arrested on a charge of boating while ability impaired by alcohol and was further charged with having no distress equipment, no life preserver, no type IV flotation device and no fire extinguisher aboard, according to Detective Sergeant Jack. H. Thilberg.
The operator of the boat was released on $100 stationhouse bail and directed to appear in Shelter Island Justice Court at a later date.
Silver Beach resident Bill McGorry was walking his dog on Shell Beach when he saw the boat running in tight circles at a high rate of speed.
The operator of the boat was swimming and floating his way into Shell Beach, Mr. McGorry said. When he reached the shore, he stood in the water and said “he’d been hit by a wave and it flipped him out of the boat,” Mr. McGorry said.
Bill and Jody Geist were also watching, first through binoculars from their home near Wades Beach, and later from the shore.
“First we thought it was somebody tubing,” Mr. Geist said. “It seemed like maybe he was trying to lose a tuber. But then I saw it through binoculars and noticed, to my astonishment, there was no driver.”
Ms. Geist said the police showed up quickly and that the boat was brought under control after about 30 minutes.
“It went in circles until it ran out of gas,” she said.
