2 Dozen People Rescued After Popular Starfish Charter Boat Nearly Sinks Near Sea Isle City
SEA ISLE CITY, N.J. (CBS) -- Two dozen people had to be rescued from a popular fishing charter boat down the shore. It all unfolded Monday in the waters off Townsend Inlet Bridge between Sea Isle City and Avalon.
Twenty-four hours after the popular Starfish Charter Boat nearly sunk in Sea Isle City, the boat is still beached and stuck in the marsh.
"My dad has put his heart and soul into this thing and it's definitely gut-wrenching and it's definitely heartbreaking for him," Brittany DeClementi said.
The Coast Guard and Seatow could be seen in the water near the Sea Isle Yacht Club as workers inspected the damage.
We're told the Starfish suffered a gash to the hull and several compartments started to flood on its way back from a four-hour fishing trip Monday.
"We were able to take two boats out from over here and got the passengers off safely," DeClementi said.
DeClementi says she hopped in one boat and her dad, Captain Bob, who owns Starfish Boats, hoped in another.
He was able to help rescue the 22 people on board, bringing them to nearby docks.
The mayor of Sea Isle says there were strong currents Monday, and the boat likely hit the Townsend Inlet Bridge when it started taking on water. That's when the Starfish put out a distress call.
Jesse Price works at the Yacht Club. He saw the Starfish tipping over and also jumped into action.
"Me and one of my guys hoped in our powerboats just to make sure everyone was good, but by the time we got there everyone was evacuated," he said.
Luckily, no one was injured.
But the Starfish has been a staple in Sea Isle, hosting fishing trips for decades.
Now, its slip is empty and the boat is out of commission during its busiest time of the year.
"It's a tragedy for the company that owns the boat, obviously, and it's a tragedy for folks that want to go fishing," Bill Curran said.
But Starfish Boats vows it will be back, as the Coast Coard continues to investigate.
"Whether it is the Starfish and we fix it or it's another boat, we do hope to be back," DeClementi said.
CBS3's Ryan Hughes reports.