RedactedNarrative: On September 3, 2020 I responded to the Isle Of Wight Bay near buoy 13 in reference to a boating emergency.  I learned via radio that a 24 foot Chaparral boat had struck an object in the water, and now the vessel was taking on water.  Upon arrival I located the vessel anchored at the following coordinates N38 22.169,W75 05.367.  The vessel is further described as a 2006 Chaparral SSI Pennsylvania registration 1171CX, with six souls on board.  All subjects on the vessel were wearing type I life jackets, and the bilge pump was able to keep up, and prevent the boat from taking on enough water to sink the vessel.  I made contact with the operator of the vessel identified as Operator 1 who stated the following.
      Operator 1 stated that he was traveling south on the Isle Of Wight bay at approximately 25 knots.  Operator 1 stated his intention was to enter the marked channel on the east side of the Isle Of Wight Bay.  Operator 1 stated that he was unfamiliar with the water ways in the Ocean City area and he took a course to the west side of buoy 13, not knowing the channel was to the east side of buoy 13.  Operator 1 stated that this caused the vessel to strike an object that was submerged which I suspected to be a pipe.  Operator 1 stated that the impact from striking the submerged object caused the outdrive to become dislodged from the motor rendering the vessel without power.  Also since the watertight seal between the outdrive and motor was comprised, the vessel began to take on water. The water entering the bilge was removed by the bilge pump which allowed the vessel to stay afloat.  Operator 1 was able to have everyone on the vessel put on a life jacket.  Operator 1 was able to throw the anchor which set and kept the vessel in place.
      Operator 1 stated that he has been operating vessels for over 100 hours but less then 500 hours in his lifetime.  Operator 1 stated that he did look up the weather and tides prior to disembarking but did not check any navigational charts.   The weather was described as an ambient air temperature of 88 degrees with a water temperature of 76 degrees.  The winds were out of the south at 10-15 MPH, which caused a moderate chop.  The boat traffic was light.  This occurred during the daytime under clear sky's with ample visibility.
      Since the vessel was only sitting in four feet of water, and was a heavy vessel taking on water I opted not to tow the vessel, especially since Sea Tow had less then an hour ETA.  I remained alongside the vessel just in case the bilge pump failed and I needed to egress the subjects from their vessel to mine.  Sea Tow arrived and was able to successfully tow the boat into a boat ramp located at fifty second street.  Once the vessel was removed from the water I was able to observe the damage to the vessel.  The outdrive was severed from the motor at the gimble joint, and the water tight seal was non existent.  A mechanic estimated the damage to be approximately $7000.00.   
      There were five following subjects were on the vessel all standing in the open air portion of the boat.  None of the subjects on the boat were injured or needed any medical attention.  
      The 2006 Chaparral SSi 24 foot was equipped with a 250 horsepower mercury engine which was original to the vessel.  The vessel was equppied with a total of 12 life jackets, 2 B1 fire extinguishers and a fire suppression system.  The vessel also had the all the required safety equipment.
      The cause for the collision was due to failure to keep a proper lookout and lack of preparation on the operators behalf.  I did not issue any citations due the fact that no one was injured, and the monetary loss to the vessel would out weigh and punitive action taken.  However I did discuss with the operator Operator 1 steps that he needed to take in the future to prevent another collision.  
      All above events occurred in Worcester County, Maryland.
  