State Rep. Janice Giegler with Lt. Col. Sandy Sanderson of the 399th Danbury Squadron, Civil Air Patrol.
While conducting a patrol flight over Long Island Sound in July with Civil Air Patrol, State Rep. Janice R. Giegler and pilot-in-command Lt. Col. Sandy Sanderson of the 399th Danbury Squadron located and aided a boater in distress.
Most of the three-hour mission over Long Island Sound on July 19 was uneventful for the Connecticut Wing aircrew of the CAP Cessna 182.
“Earlier in the flight, we saw very little activity on the water; hardly any sailboats at all, a few powerboats and those appeared mostly to be fishing, a couple of small tankers swinging on their hooks, and the Port Jefferson and Orient Point ferryboats operating as normal,” said Lt. Col. Sanderson.
As evening approached, the flight turned west to return to Danbury Municipal Airport. Just then, the crew heard a “weak and garbled transmission” from a vessel in distress. Sanderson relayed the message that a vessel was dead in the water and requesting Coast Guard assistance and then proceeded to the disabled craft’s reported position.
The Civil Air Patrol aircrew located the vessel near the south end of the Connecticut River and provided its location to the Coast Guard.
“The boat captain was sort of excited as he was drifting near a rocky jetty and had his wife and two children on board. We got him calmed down and the Coast Guard squared him away about getting help,” said Lt. Col. Sanderson. The CAP aircrew remained in orbit over the disabled boat until a helper vessel, Prudence, arrived on the scene.
Rep. Giegler is a major in Civil Air Patrol’s Connecticut Legislative Squadron. Her district includes part of northern Ridgefield.
Lt. Col. Sanderson said Representative Giegler, serving as the spotter, provided valuable help during the incident. “She kept the vessel in sight and kept me well informed on what was happening, including the arrival of the helper vessel.”