Petty
Officer 1st Class Matt Fedorowic conducts a post search and rescue
boarding Wednesday, June 24, 2015. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty
Officer 1st Class Ruben Colon)
A good Samaritan aboard a nearby vessel spotted the distressed boaters and hailed the Coast Guard using a VHF radio.
A 29-foot response boat crew fromc launched, arrived on scene, and took the two children aboard the response boat. The crew members then passed a suction hose for a dewatering pump to the adults, who started dewatering the boat.
“As soon as we arrived, our priority was getting the children on our boat,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Ruben Colon, the response boat’s coxswain. “It was great to see both children wearing life jackets, and we asked the adults to put theirs on as well.”
He said the crew worked with the two adults to quickly dewater the boat, rig a tow line, and bring them safely to the boat ramp at Cashman Park in Newburyport.
There were no reported injuries. The cause of the flooding is unknown, but the boat had a puncture to its body. It most likely hit a rock or other debris.