A happy ending to this potential tragedy, and some good advice......
 

PORTLAND, Ore. - A 42-year-old man and his 19-year-old son are safe
today after spending the night on Sand Island when their boat sank
during a fishing trip on the Columbia River near Rooster Rock State
Park, Ore., Wednesday.
Coast Guard Sector Portland, Ore., received a call for assistance at
10:50 p.m., Wednesday from a Multnomah County Sheriff's deputy after
the men had not returned from their fishing trip.

An HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Astoria, Ore., a Multnomah
County Marine Patrol Boat and a 25- foot response boat from Coast Guard
Station Portland were launched to search.

The 25-foot response boat crew discovered their submerged boat; however
there was no sign of the two men.

At 2:51 a.m., the Jayhawk helicopter located the two men on Sand
Island, approximately one-mile east of Rooster Rock. They were taken
aboard the Coast Guard response boat and transported to Rooster Rock
State Park where they were treated by emergency medical services and
released.

The Coast Guard would like to remind boaters to file a float plan and
leave a copy with a friend, relative or local marina before heading out
on the water. If a vessel has an emergency, the information will be
available to local marine police or the Coast Guard. If boaters know
they will be delayed but there is no emergency they should update their
float plan.

At a minimum, boaters are encouraged to have a working VHF Marine Band
radio on board. A cell phone can be a good secondary emergency device,
but isn't a replacement for a working radio.

An example of a float plan is provided at the following link.
http://www.uscgboating.org/safety/fedreqs/floatplan.pdf

Sector Portland as well Station Portland conducts more than 150 search
and rescue cases per year which span an area on the Columbia and
Willamette rivers from Puget Island, near Longview, Wash. to the
Bonneville and Oregon City Dams.

Sector Portland, located on Swan Island in Portland, is a multi-mission
Coast Guard office which includes 240 active duty and reserve Coast
Guard personnel. Mission capabilities include domestic and foreign
vessel inspections, pollution response, marine investigations,
waterways management, and commercial vessel law enforcement.
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