Aug 22, 2023 by Triton Staff
A bad day for two boaters could have been much worse if it hadn’t been for some fast-thinking Maine lobstermen.
Lobstermen are being hailed as lifesavers after a 48-foot yacht sank off the Maine coast.
According to media reports, two men were on board the yacht when it caught fire and sank near Seguin Island. Before jumping into the ocean, they were able to call for help and to report that there was fire in the engine room. The Coast Guard then issued an urgent mariner information broadcast which alerted other boats in the area. Several lobster boats were in the area, and the men were pulled to safety.
Ryan Koroknay, a Coast Guard spokesperson, told the Portland Press Herald the situation would have been much worse without the lobstermen.
“Kudos can’t speak highly enough of those fishermen who were out there and rescued these boaters,” said Koroknay, who, the newspaper noted, also serves as the Coast Guard’s chief of incident management. “We were very fortunate that these fishing vessels were in that area.”
One of the boats involved was named as the My Three Blondes. A rescue boat from the South Portland Coast Guard station also went to the scene; by the time it arrived, the boaters had been rescued and the yacht had sunk.
Reports did not specify the cause of the fire.
Tagged coast guard, lobstermen, Maine, sank, yacht
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