Labor Day weekend festivities ended a bit too soon for a group of pleasure seekers when the boat they were cruising around Nye’s Ledge in Buzzards Bay began to take on water. Nye’s Ledge is located east of Ram Island and southeast of Antassawamock in Mattapoisett.
Reports from the scene indicated the power boat was taking on water, and fast. A mayday distress call picked up on VHS 16 at approximately 5:45 pm was responded to by the USCG Sector Southeastern New England out of Woods Hole. Mattapoisett and Marion Harbormaster Departments also deployed teams to the scene.
Before they arrived, a good samaritan vessel named Early Riser was at the site and had extracted all six passengers from the sea and was in the process of ferrying them to Mattapoisett Boat Yard. Once docked, EMS assessed the victims’ conditions. No medical services were required for the four children and two adults that had been thrust into the water.
With everyone safe, Mattapoisett Harbormaster Jamie McIntosh attempted to locate the capsized vessel. McIntosh wrote in his press release, “The Mattapoisett Harbormaster Department along with Marion Harbormaster and the Massachusetts Environmental Police … found no debris field.”
The distressed vessel had slipped deep into more than 35 feet of water, McIntosh would later comment. He wrote that, “Boat crews searched the area until dark with negative results.”
That theme would continue right up to the September 7 press time for this week’s edition of The Wanderer.
Mattapoisett’s Harbormaster team was unsuccessful in spotting the sunken vessel despite the use of underwater imaging equipment after three days of searching. Assistant Harbormaster P.J. Beaudoin said, “We were out there for five hours today. It was very disappointing.” Beaudoin said that on September 8, the Massachusetts Environmental team would return with another type of imaging equipment that might produce results. In the meantime, the sunken vessel waits.
Mariners were cautioned to be aware of a possible navigational hazard until such time as the vessel is recovered.
By Marilou Newell