Piney Point, MD  – Two men who were fishing on the Potomac River Sunday, Dec. 20 were rescued by responders after their 15-foot recreational boat sank.

According to Maryland Natural Resources Police spokeswoman Candy Thomson, the two fishermen—identified as Brad Stemcoski, 41 of Washington, DC and Charles Frend Jr., 41 of Hyattsville—launched Stemcoski’s Glasstream boat at the Piney Point Recreational Area around noon. The two were trolling for rockfish on the final day of Maryland’s striped bass ‘catch and keep’ season.

“The water was calm,” when the craft was launched, said Thomson. As the sun began to set the waves increased to one to two feet and the vessel began taking on water near Ragged Point Light. Stemcoski increased the vessel’s speed. However, the boat began sinking and capsized around 5 p.m.

The two men were wearing inflatable life jackets, which activated. The men were in the water for over an hour. During that time Stemcoski called for aid on a hand-held radio and his cell phone.

The men were later rescued by a Second District Volunteer Fire Department and Rescue Squad. Once ashore, ambulance crews from Lexington Park and Second District transported Stemcoski and Frend to St. Mary’s MedStar Hospital. Thomson told The BayNet both men were treated for hypothermia. Their current conditions are not known at this time.

Thomson reported the vessel remains in the water and the Coast Guard has issued a notice to all mariners that the sunken craft poses a possible navigation hazard. “Mr. Stemcoski will have to recover the vessel once he locates it,” said Thomson.

Contact Marty Madden at marty.madden@thebaynet.com

Tall Timbers, MD— At approximately 5:23 p.m., on Dec.20, units from Valley Lee, Ridge, Coast Guard and Maryland State Police Trooper 7 were dispatched to the Tall Timbers area of the Potomac River for a reported boat in distress.

Maryland State Police Trooper 7 arrived on the scene first to discover two subjects in the water near Tall Timbers. Valley Lee’s Boat 6 arrived next to rescue two male subjects out of the water.

Both men were brought back to land at the Tall Timbers Marina in Boat 6 and taken by Valley Lee’s Ambulance and Lexington Park Ambulance’s to Medstar St. Mary’s Hospital with non-life threatening injuries.