On Tuesday, the New York Media Boat‘s 2pm Adventure Sightseeing Tour was interrupted just off South Street Seaport, when the boat captain, Bjoern Kils, spotted three people in the water near Pier 15. They immediatey went to help. Bjoern describes what happened next in his blog:
When we arrived, two men were in the water trying to keep an unconscious victim afloat. Apparently, he had been handling lines for a large vessel when a line snapped, knocking him into the water.
We threw a life-ring and float-line to the guys struggling to keep the victim’s face above the water, pulled them alongside our boat, and hailed the NYPD boat stationed below the Brooklyn Bridge. Other bystanders threw life-rings and lifejackets in the water to place beneath the victim.
The NYPD Scuba Unit arrived within moments and immediately deployed rescue swimmers, who pulled the victim onto New York Media Boat to assess injuries and administer oxygen. EMS and FDNY brought a backboard, stokes basket and stretcher and helped transfer him ashore and into a waiting ambulance. The whole response happened very quickly and was handled adeptly, with the victim ending up at Bellevue Hospital. He’s reported to be in stable condition.
We’re very thankful to our passengers for their patience while we assisted in this emergency, and as always impressed by the NYPD’s response and professionalism.
This is not the first time that Bjoern has rescued mariners from the water. We first posted about Bjoern Kils in January, 2014, when he rescued crew members from the tug boat, Sea Lion, which sank off Atlantic Beach. Bjoern’s boat and a boat from the Sandy Hook Pilots were the first on scene and pulled the crew from the icy Atlantic waters. US Coast Guard and NYPD boats arrived shortly afterward.
Bjoern runs New York Media Boat, which provides marine support for local media, as well as sightseeing tours, and other forms of marine and yacht racing support. In addition to be a great guy personally, he and his boat are wonderful to have nearby if one ever gets into trouble on the water.
In May we posted an interview with Bjoern Kils by Kate Mosso of Fox News, discussing those who are beyond rescue. See After a Brutal Winter, a Late Season for “Floaters”