West Seattle Water Taxi crew honored for heroism

(King County photo: Marine Division director Paul Brodeur, Councilmember Joe McDermott, MV Doc Maynard deckhand Bob McDougall and captain Jeff Bearden)

The West Seattle Water Taxi crew’s rescue of a boater in August led to a special recognition event today. Here’s the official news release:

Pulling out of West Seattle’s Seacrest Dock on August 30, the crew of the King County Water Taxi MV Doc Maynard saw a man in the water and immediately went into action to get him out of the water and onto their vessel.

During an afternoon sailing of the Doc Maynard to West Seattle today, Metropolitan King County Council Chair Joe McDermott recognized ship Captain Jeff Bearden and the crew of the Doc Maynard for their quick response to the water emergency.

“It’s an honor to know Captain Bearden, Ms. Cook and Mr. McDougall. These are true professional public servants,” said McDermott. “Their skillful response to a dangerous situation should give confidence to everyone in King County that we’re in excellent hands on this very important regional transit service.”

When the man, who had fallen out of his boat, was spotted in the water, Captain Bearden steered the water taxi near his location and notified authorities of a person in distress. Deckhand Amanda Cook quickly threw the man a life jacket and prepared the equipment used for a man overboard. Deckhand Bob McDougall went into the water after getting into a rescue suit and helped the man out of Elliott Bay and onto the vessel.

“What impressed me most was the efficiency with which our crew responded to the man in the water and worked in unison to do as we’d trained,” said Capt. Bearden. “From the instant we first spotted him in the distance to the moment the paramedics were giving him a clean bill of health at the dock, only 15 minutes had elapsed and we were back on our way.”

4 Replies to "West Seattle Water Taxi crew honored for heroism"

  • 33Pete October 5, 2018 (7:06 am)

    Kudos to the Water Taxi captain and his crew. Their heroics are most certainly worthy of praise; but their day in and day out work should also be recognized. Yes, I know its their job, but the whole group goes above and beyond every day. They are professional, courteous, friendly, and obviously amazingly competent. In short, we are lucky to have them guide us across the bay to and from work every day.

  • Question Authority October 5, 2018 (8:34 am)

    All in all a successful rescue but hopefully this incident has brought attention to the methods used that day so any further rescues go smoother. The rope and tackle system was cumbersome and needs a water level pullline to prevent it from bailing into a useless knot, I add this comment from experience to help others.

  • Seth October 5, 2018 (8:47 am)

    15 minutes! Amazing work.

  • Me October 5, 2018 (10:22 am)

    give them a raise.

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