MANCHESTER BY THE SEA, MASS. (WHDH) - The search continued Monday for a 37-year-old Hamilton man who went missing off the coast of Singing Beach in Manchester-by-the-Sea, after a boat with three men aboard went down in the area Saturday afternoon.
At approximately 4:27 p.m. Saturday, Coast Guard Sector Boston watchstanders said they received a report of a recreational vessel moving in slow circles near Little Egg Rock with no people visible aboard. Residents said the rock, at times, can become submerged at high tide.
“I’ve been out here late in the day, and these rocks are not as visible when the tide’s up. So if there’s a little chop, if the boat’s bouncing a little bit – maybe just didn’t look at the right time to see the rock, and slammed right into it,” said Devin Calhoun, a beachgoer.
Coast Guard Station Gloucester also responded to the scene, located the vessel, and recovered a dog. The dog has since been reunited with its family, the Coast Guard said.
The Manchester-by-the-Sea Harbormaster and Massachusetts State Police confirmed that three people had initially been aboard the boat, and the Coast Guard immediately began a water search. Beverly and Manchester-by-the-Sea Harbormasters each recovered one person from the water Saturday, the Coast Guard said.
One person, identified by the Essex County District Attorney’s Office as a 65-year-old man, was flown to Massachusetts General Hospital. The second person, identified by the Essex County District Attorney’s Office as Carl Potter, 67, of Beverly, was taken to Beverly Hospital where he was pronounced deceased.
The Coast Guard said it suspended its search Sunday for the third person, identified by the Essex County District Attorney’s Office as James Wolcott, 37, of Hamilton.
Massachusetts State Police continued the search for Wolcott Monday with a helicopter and boats equipped with side-scan sonar. An assistant harbormaster was also out on the beach looking for signs of him.
“Very tragic, honestly, that this happened. And it’s a small community, so I’m sure it’s going to be very impactful,” said Maria Gillespie, a Manchester-by-the-Sea resident.
The 65-year-old man who owned the boat remains in critical condition at the hospital. His identity has not been released.
Massachusetts State Police assigned to the Essex County District Attorney’s Office are investigating.
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