Last August, the crew of the King County Water Taxi Doc Maynard saw people in the water just off Duwamish Head and acted quickly to rescue them after their sailboat had capsized.

The actions of Doc Maynard Capt. Brad Johnson and deckhands GW Rogers and Jay White received national recognition from the Passenger Vessel Association, who presented the organization’s Capt. Elizabeth Gedney Passenger Vessel Safety Award.

The award recognizes actions performed by the personnel of association vessel members and their employees that resulted in a “significant, positive outcome which may have turned a bad day better.” The award honors the action and training of the vessel crew that resulted in life-saving outcomes. 

When a sailboat capsized Aug. 11, 2021, the Doc Maynard pulled next to the vessel. Both people on the sailboat were too fatigued to get themselves into the Water Taxis rescue harness, so Capt. Johnson called on deckhands Rogers and White to assist the boaters by donning a Mustang Survival Suit and going into the water and helping them onto the Water Taxi.

Captain Johnson and Marine Division Director Paul Brodeur received the award during the Passenger Vessel Association’s annual meeting in Covington, Ky. The Passenger Vessel Association’s focus is on supporting the interests and the economic well-being of U.S. passenger vessel owners and operators along with continuing the education and development of safety resources for the passenger vessel industry.