SOLOMON’S ISLAND (Oct. 16, 2008) ---  Natural Resources Police and other agencies are still looking for the body of Patrick Reiter, of Mechanicsville, according to Capt. Robert Davis of the NRP.

“We have patrol craft using side scanner sonar and this instrument is very useful in the deep waters where the search is taking place,” explained Capt. Davis.

“The signal gets a chance to spread out in the bottom of the river when it’s deeper and it is much better there than in shallow water,” said Davis.

Davis said that Robert Baumgartner was the owner of the vessel and that he would consult with investigators to determine who the operator of the boat was when it went out of control and flipped on Sunday, Oct. 12^th at Point Patience.

The three men who survived the crash were plucked from the water by fishermen who were nearby where small boats cluster near the point in what is a traditionally good fishing spot.

The powerful race boat wrecked in good weather at the point with an investigation by NRP under way to determine why the boat flipped over and ejected the occupants.  There was no wind or stormy weather to cause any wave action and only a small amount of current action is present in good weather at Point Patience.

There are no speed limits on the open waters of Maryland such as the Patuxent River and captains of vessel are obligated by law to not travel at speeds greater than reasonable to maintain control and not endanger other vessels. 

But the only requirement to maintain a distance from other boats applies to jet skis, or personal watercraft.  Jet skis must stay 100’ from other vessels when going over 6 knots, said Capt. Davis.

Bodies of missing persons in the Patuxent River can take from a week up to several months to be recovered due to water currents, tides, water temperature and other conditions, making the turmoil for the families of the missing person more miserable. 

That hardship on the families provides more incentive for police to recover the bodies but there are times when jumpers are missing at the Bay bridge that recovery is not made until spring.

Water depths in the area of the Governor Thomas Johnson Bridge and Point Patience range as much as 120 feet.

 
These photos of the wreckage of a fatal boat crash at Point Patience were taken by reader Neal Murray.  The photos belie the story told by friends of those on the wrecked boat that the vessel had hit a wave, as the photos taken just minutes after the boat flipped out of control show a calm river. 



Police say none of those onboard speeding vessel were

wearing life jackets when it went out of control