The first water rescue Bob Hofmann made Sunday evening came around 5 p.m. as he was hanging out with his brother and nephew at his Ship Bottom bayfront home between 16th and 17th streets. The second came less than an hour later after a neighbor ran over to tell him there were two people struggling to swim across the channel while he was sitting on his patio. All three people in distress had attempted to swim from boats at so-called “party shoal” in the bay to shore.  

Hofmann said Monday he spotted the first swimmer, a young man, struggling to stay afloat and immediately lowered his…