At age 11, Grayson Anderson has already made his first watercraft rescue.
The son of Jennifer and Greg Anderson of Marsh Landing was riding his Williams MiniJet 280 on the Intracoastal Waterway, Friday, May 22, when he spotted someone in trouble.
Grayson, who has earned his Florida Boating Safety ID Card, responded.
The man had been fishing from his Hobie Passport kayak when he hit an oyster bed, breaking the prop on his trolling motor. Conditions were not favorable for returning to the kayak launch without the motor.
“I was left with my paddle to try to get back four miles to Beach Boulevard against an incoming tide and wind in my face,” the man said. “So, it was quite a struggle.”
“The current was extremely strong that day,” Grayson observed.
Grayson offered to tow the man back to the marina. The man found a rope, and the two crafts were tied to one another.
But now they faced a new challenge.
“While I was towing him, a big wake came from a boat,” Grayson recalled. “I heard him say, ‘Stop, stop, stop.’ So, I cut the engine. I looked back, and I saw him flip over.”
The man was able to flip his kayak right-side-up again, but it started filling with water. He would not be able to paddle it back even under tow.
Grayson put down his ladder and helped the man get into his own craft. And they proceeded back to the launch, kayak in tow. Unfortunately, the rope they used for the tow had previously been used to lash the motor in place. So, when the kayak flipped, the trolling motor and a 100-amp battery went into the Intracoastal Waterway where they sank to the bottom.
“Was that a situation where I could have possibly died?” said the man. “Well, probably not, but I certainly would have had to be rescued. … The incoming tide would have just swept me away from where I was going.”
The man was clearly impressed with Grayson’s handling of the situation.
“The young man was constantly — while he was towing me — constantly watching me and watching out for other boats coming by,” he said. “He was extremely careful … He was on his phone occasionally with his mother, giving her an update on what was going on.”
Back at Beach Boulevard Marina, the man thanked Grayson by giving him the black drum he’d caught before the accident.
