The man, who was inspecting storm damage to his skiff, found himself in peril when his small, flat-bottomed boat capsized between Tenants Harbor and Rackliff Island on Sunday, according to St. George Fire and Rescue.
The incident occurred around 5 p.m., as daylight was fading and a drizzle was turning into a more severe downpour. The man was plunged into the icy waters, setting off a grueling three-hour rescue mission involving multiple agencies and vessels. "Our local lobstermen saved his life," St. George Fire and Rescue stated.
The alarm was raised when the man failed to meet his 4:15 p.m. pickup time at the marina. His wife, unable to locate him, dialed 911. The man had managed to swim to the shore of one of the northern islands off the coast of Maine, but he was trapped and hidden from the 25-plus first responders from St. George Fire and Rescue, Marine Patrol, U.S. Coast Guard, and Knox County Sheriff's Office.
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The search area was narrowed when a resident on a nearby island heard the man's cries for help and alerted the authorities. A local lobsterman, identified by St. George Fire and Rescue as Ryan Miller, heard the radio chatter and joined the search.
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Miller located the victim, but the man was stranded on an island with a narrow passage and rocky terrain that made boat access impossible. Despite his exhaustion, the man attempted to navigate the rocky terrain, according to the Pen Bay Pilot. First responders, working in shifts, strapped him to a stokes, wrapped him in a tarp, and maneuvered him through the dense woods and tidal pools.
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The first team began the journey on foot, with the second team taking over at 7:15 p.m. By 7:26 p.m., the man was loaded onto a small Marine Patrol boat and transferred to the U.S. Coast Guard, who brought him to shore in Tenants Harbor, as reported by the Pen Bay Pilot.
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Upon reaching the shore, the man was immediately rushed to the hospital, accompanied by his wife. St. George Fire and Rescue, in a Facebook post, urged the public to keep the man and his family in their thoughts as he embarks on his recovery journey.
The department also emphasized the importance of having a safety plan when venturing out on the water, including establishing check-in times. "If those times are missed, CALL IT IN. You are not overreacting," the post concluded.
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