Ferry workers who rescue family off sinking boat receive Lifesaving Award

A Washington State Ferry crew rescued a family off a sinking boat near Anacortes. The emergency happened back in March. On Wednesday, the four ferry workers who used their quick thinking, training, and teamwork to save lives received the 2024 Governor’s Lifesaving Awards for their heroics. More than 30 other people who jumped into action to save lives in other ways also received the award.

KIRO7′s Deedee Sun emceed the event in Tacoma and spoke with the ferry crew who described the tense moments when trouble struck.

The Salish was sailing its regular route from the San Juans to Anacortes on a windy day in March. The winds were strong enough to churn up four-to-six-foot waves.

“It was very heavy seas, remembers Justin McCaughan, chief mate of the ferry Samish. That’s when he heard a distress call.

“This one came through clear as a bell. And I said to myself right away, God, that’s close,” McCaughan said.

The ferry rushed towards a 37-foot cruiser with a family on board, including a mom, dad, three teens, a family friend, and two golden retrievers. The ferry crew noticed massive waves had already shattered the boat’s windshield.

“The husband driving the boat was all covered in blood from his hairline down to his belly button,” McCaughan said.

And the pleasure boat was sinking, rapidly filling with water.

“They were taking five-gallon buckets trying to get water out of this cabin. I estimate there were probably a couple of thousand gallons of water in the boat at this point,” McCaughan said.

The ferry captain maneuvered the ferry to block the worst of the wind, while two crew members deployed a rescue boat.

“I grabbed onto the railing, trying to hold on, said David Wickland, another crew mate. He and Justin Huggins were on the rescue boat and got to the group. They say only one of the six people on board – a teen - was wearing a life jacket.

“The mother of the group was pretty distraught. She was crying and pretty scared,” Wickland said. The ferry crew loaded four people onto rescue boat – and all were lifted onto the ferry Samish.

McCaughan said they were all mildly hypothermic, but incredibly, all were okay.

“Really lucky to have these guys with me and the rest of the crew,” Huggins said.

WSF’s Justin Huggins, Justin McCaughan, Brandon Torres, and David Wickland all received the Lifesaving Award.

To them, the heroics are just part of the job.

“We actually trained for this exact scenario every week,” McCaughan said.

But to the rest of us, the ferry crew is a steadfast – if lesser known – line of defense on the Salish Sea.

The US Coast Guard also responded and helped guide the remaining two men and two dogs on the distressed boat to safety in Anacortes.

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