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Fairview Beach rocked by sudden storm during Aquapalooza festival
Music festival at Fairview Beach gets upstaged by high winds and freak storm
Date published: 7/28/2008
By CATHY DYSON A storm with high winds hit Fairview Beach yesterday afternoon, knocking boats against each other in the Potomac River and slamming them into the rocky shoreline. "It was just a freak storm, and it caused a lot of panic for a few minutes," said Pete Sullivan, deputy chief of the King George Volunteer Fire and Rescue Department. Seven boats that either broke anchor or were untied when the wind kicked up about 3:30 p.m. ran aground on sand or rocks, he said. Another eight got knocked into each other. There were seven reported injuries. "It's my understanding the most serious one took a Band-Aid," Sullivan said. But the scene certainly looked ominous for those gathered for the two-day Aquapalooza event at the beach. About a hundred boats surrounded the stage barge off shore, and many were tied together, listening to bands. "It got kinda dark and looked like it was going to blow over. Then all of a sudden, it hit," said L.P. Baumgardner III, who lives in Fairview. "It was pure chaos." Summer storms aren't unusual along this stretch of land, said Guy Booth, co-owner of Tim's II restaurant at Fairview. The water is shallow, about three or four feet deep around the pier. When the wind whipped up, the boats that didn't have adequate anchor line snap-ped loose, he said. That happens often. "Every year, we have five or six boats up on the beach," Booth said. What made yesterday unusual was the number of boaters. Booth was glad the storm didn't hit on Saturday, when he estimated 1,100 boats were docked around Fairview. The same event that drew crowds also attracted rescuers. Officials from nearby Charles County, Md., set up a command post in a bus Saturday night, and King George had rescue units nearby all weekend. When it was reported that more than a dozen boats were taking on water after the storm, King George units got people in the river quickly to help boaters bail out, Sullivan said. Fairview was the second water-related rescue of the weekend. On Saturday, Smith Point Sea Rescue in the Northern Neck searched the Coan River for Robbie Krieger, a missing kayaker, until 11 that night. The 20-year-old was found safely on a nearby island after he spent the night in the water. Cathy Dyson: 540/374-5425
Date published: 7/28/2008
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