BILLERICA, MASS. (WHDH) - Marie Morinico peddled her paddleboat against the tide from her Billerica home on the Concord River. She’s done this for over 60 years.
“Went a lot further than I normally go, because it was such a beautiful day,” Morinico said. “Didn’t consider daylight savings, getting dark soon, went further than I should have.”
Two hours later, darkness began to set in. The 83-year-old said the rudder broke and she ended up in a bog three miles upstream.
“When I ended up in Concord in a bog, I knew at this point ‘I am in trouble,'” Morinico said.
Morinico’s husband, who’d been talking to her on her cellphone, got more concerned as time ticked away.
“She got stuck and couldn’t move anymore, and then she agreed I should call the police, and I did,” her husband said.
The Billerica Fire Department searched the water, and the state police launched their helicopter. Morinico was spotted in the darkness.
A firefighter in a protective suit went into the water and helped get Morinico into a boat.
“My feet got cold,” she said. “I take off from here, I take off my shoes and socks. By the time I got home, I was cold.”
Morinico is thankful for those who helped rescue her, and said she will be back out in the water soon.
“The boat is ready,” she said.
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