A Coast Guard rescue crew from Station Point Judith saved two men and towed a fishing boat Sunday after the boat became disabled about 5 miles southwest of Watch Hill, Rhode Island.
The operator of a 17-foot mako fishing boat with two people aboard contacted watchstanders at the Sector Long Island Sound command center, in New York, and reported they were disabled and in need of assistance.
Due to their proximity, a Station Point Judith crew aboard a 45-foot Response Boat responded.
Once on scene, the response boat crew set up a tow for the disabled boat and transferred the two men onto the Coast Guard boat.
The Station Point Judith medic, Petty Officer 2nd Class Michael Gingras, who was aboard the response boat, quickly evaluated the men and found the operator to be suffering from symptoms of hypothermia.
“The operator of the boat had been soaking wet for four to five hours, with the wind howling. He was in pretty bad shape,” said Gingras. “We got him out of his wet clothes, put a few space blankets around him, cranked the heater, and helped him through the transit.”
After completing the tow, the Coast Guard crew moored the disabled boat at the Stonington Harbor Yacht Club, in Connecticut. The operator’s care was transferred to awaiting Emergency Medical Services personnel.
