Annapolis, Kent Island Boats Collide On Bay

ANNAPOLIS, MD — No serious injuries were suffered in Friday’s collision between a sailboat and a charter fishing boat Chesapeake Bay, authorities said. Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police said the crash happened near Thomas Point between a charter fishing boat out of Kent Island and a J105 sailboat out of Annapolis.

Photos released by the NRP show the fishing boat resting on the mid-section of the sailboat. None of the nine people onboard the boats were hurt, Coast Guard officials said.

The sailboat, named the Levitation, is owned by the Chesapeake Boating Club in Eastport. Club owner Kevin Ryman told the Capital-Gazette the powerboat hit the sailboat despite crew efforts to avoid the collision and hail the charter boat before the collision. “Our members were operating the boat in a safe manner, on a day with clear visibility and 10-12 knots of breeze,” Ryman told the newspaper. “The J/105 crew attempted to... take action to avoid the collision.”

Seven people were on the fishing boat, named The Hunter. The Coast Guard has yet to say which boat caused the accident, who the operators were, or whether alcohol or excess speed was a factor in the collision.

The U.S. Coast Guard will take the lead on the investigation.

Photos courtesy of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources Police