PLYMOUTH, MASS. (WHDH) - Authorities say three people aboard a sailboat were rescued off the coast of Plymouth after their ship ran aground Wednesday morning.
A spokesperson for the United States Coast Guard said it was around 7:30 a.m. when the ship’s crew sent out a mayday call, stating that their 41-foot vessel had been pushed towards the rocks near the shoreline.
Plymouth Fire Department personnel were able to later assist the crew, with all three members safely transported to shore.
“Upon arrival, Plymouth firefighters observed that the sailboat had run aground and was lodged approximately 75-100 feet offshore,” the department stated in a news release. “Firefighters entered the water in survival gear and made their way toward the vessel.”
According to Plymouth Fire Chief Neil Foley, neighbors living in the area, including recently-retired Plymouth Fire Battalion Chief Michael Roy, put on wetsuits and attempted to help those stranded on the boat as well.
“It was just beyond those rocks, sitting there,” Roy told reporters, who described how he spotted the boat with its bow heading right toward the rocks. “So I said, ‘They’re in trouble.’ I don’t think they had power. It was a nor’east blow and they were at anchor this morning, and then they might have dragged their anchor.”
Authorities described the crew of the sailboat as a man and woman in their 60s, as well as a man in his 70s.
“We did a relay because the Coast Guard couldn’t get in close enough to pull them in,” Roy added. “We had done this in Plymouth Fire many, many times, so it was very cut-and-dry.”
After being brought to shore, the three were taken to a local hospital for evaluation and to be checked for possible exposure to the elements as well as hypothermia.
Foley told 7NEWS the boat apparently left Boston on Tuesday and was heading to Florida when it ran aground.
Details on the extent of damage to the boat have not yet been released.
The ship, which could be seen standing upright against the rocks after the tide went out later in the morning, was expected to be removed either later in the day or by tomorrow.
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