The Coast Guard rescued five people from a charter boat in Tangier Sound near Kedges Straight in Crisfield, Md., Saturday, July 11.

Arthur Dawson of Solomon's Island, the owner/operator of a 44-foot fishing boat, contacted Coast Guard Sector Baltimore watchstanders via marine-band radio at approximately 4 p.m., reporting his boat was taking on water with five people aboard.

A 41-foot utility boat crew from Coast Guard Station Crisfield arrived on scene at approximately 4:30 p.m., removed all five passengers and assisted with dewatering the boat.  The station then escorted the boat and crew back to the station.

"In this situation, the crew were all wearing life jackets and were able to keep up with the flooding," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Donald Crockett, a boat crew engineer at Station Crisfield. "Having a pump on board and knowing how to properly use it prevented this situation from getting worse."

There were no reports of injuries.

The Coast Guard urges mariners to outfit their boat with a functioning marine-band radio.  Using channel 16 is the most reliable way to get help in the event of an emergency on the water.