78-year-old woman dies after going overboard off Scituate, sixth boater to die in Northeast this month: Coast Guard

A 78-year-old woman died off the Scituate coast this weekend, becoming the sixth boater to die in Northeast waters this month as the Coast Guard warns of cold water hazards ahead of Memorial Day.

Barbara Warner, of Colorado, was identified as the woman who died after she went overboard Saturday afternoon in the mouth of Scituate’s North River, just off the beach area known as “the Spit.”

Rescuers on scene learned that the vessel had been overcome by sea conditions and capsized. The woman was in dangerously frigid 56-degree waters with 6-foot seas.

Hours later, the crew of the U.S. Coast Guard Cutter Marlin alerted search teams that they had found the missing boater in the waters outside of the New Inlet.

“Unfortunately, this is a tragic incident that highlights how quickly conditions can change on the water and the inherent dangers of boating, particularly in this area where the North and South Rivers converge with the open ocean,” Scituate Police said in a statement. “Our thoughts and prayers are with the family and friends of Mrs. Warner during this difficult time.”

Two others passengers in the capsized boat were rescued.

Warner was the sixth boater to die in the Northeast this month.

“Unfortunately, we have seen an uptick in recreational boating fatalities this year, more so than we have seen in previous years at the same time,” said Capt. Richard Schultz, chief of prevention for the First Coast Guard District.

The Northeast had 30 recreational boating fatalities in 2019, and 50 fatalities in 2020. These six deaths in May already come before Memorial Day weekend, when the recreational boating season usually gets busy.

While the weather may be heating up, the water temperatures are still dangerously low, in the 50s, and don’t typically get warmer until mid-summer around July and August. Water this cold can physically incapacitate someone in less than 10 minutes, leaving them physically helpless in the water — unable to use their arms, legs, feet and hands, the Coast Guard warns.

“Once they get turned over in the water, they find themselves unable to get to shore and unfortunately we’ve had these number of fatalities that we feel we need to bring to light, to urge people to do the right thing to stay safe on the water,” Schultz said.

One of the most important safety tips is wearing a lifejacket, he stressed. Warner was not wearing a lifejacket, according to the Coast Guard.

“That can save your life,” Schultz said of wearing a lifejacket. “At the same time, making sure you’re dressed appropriately for not only the weather but for the water temperatures as well.”