Raymond man dies after boat capsizes near Washaway Beach

Tokeland, WA – A Raymond man died after a boat capsized near Washaway Beach yesterday.

The Pacific County Sheriff’s Office posted that on Wednesday morning just before 9:15 a.m. the Pacific County Communications Center received a 911 call regarding an overturned vessel in the ocean near the Washaway Beach area off of State Route 105. 

They say the caller explained that the vessel was an 18-foot Bayliner and that the two occupants had been thrown into the water but had managed to hold onto the boat. 

The reporting party was in another vessel that was unable to get close enough to render aid.

The U.S. Coast Guard along with law enforcement and emergency services responded to the scene. 

The Sheriff’s Office says that during the response, the boat operator was able to make it to shore by using a cooler to keep afloat. 

The operator, a 46 year old Raymond man, said that he had lost sight of the other occupant that was with him. 

The man explained that a large wave overturned the vessel. 

Law enforcement and emergency services personnel began to search the beach and the rock jetty areas.

According to the Sheriff’s Office, the second occupant, a 51 year old Raymond man, was found deceased on a rock jetty just after 10:00 a.m. by a sheriff’s deputy about three quarters of a mile from where the vessel capsized. 

They say neither of the men were wearing life jackets during the incident.

The Sheriff’s Office says that sea conditions at the time of the incident displayed significant swells and visibility was poor. 

Responding agencies included the Pacific County Sheriff’s Office, Shoalwater Bay Tribal Police, Washington State Parks, Coast Guard ground crew, and responders from the South Beach Regional Fire Authority.