A beloved South Texas charter boat captain has died after an early-morning crash over the weekend.
Craig West, 62, of Riviera — an unincorporated rural community located in Kleberg County along U.S. 77 between Raymondville and Corpus Christi — died Saturday, October 4, after the boat he was driving struck the pylons of a privately owned pier in Baffin Bay in the predawn hours Saturday. West was on his way to pick up clients for a scheduled fishing trip when his boat struck the pier. No one else was aboard the vessel at the time of the crash.
The crash occurred at about 6:15 a.m., according to the Texas Parks and Wildlife Department, which is serving as the lead agency investigating the incident. They, along with the Kleberg County Sheriff’s Office, responded to the scene. Thus far, officials have not said what may have led to the crash. But Kleberg County Sheriff Richard Kirkpatrick said West collided with the pier about one mile east of the Williamson Boat Ramp, where he had launched into the Laguna Salada, one of Baffin Bay’s three branches…