May 28, 2009, New Bedford, Massachusetts. Auxiliary safety patrols are not often exciting. There is always the occasional boater out of fuel or even a broken motor for a patrol’s usual fare. For four Auxiliarists from New Bedford Flotilla 65 Wednesday, August 26, 2009 was another story altogether.

Left-to-right: Coxswain Paul Sadeck, Rodney P. Thomas, Leo Lake, Robert M. Joseph.

With Coxswain Paul Sadeck and crew members Leo Lake and Robert M. Joseph and trainee Rodney Thomas on board the vessel AMYJULIE departed Flotilla 65’s docks at 8:00 am. The morning’s weather began as most late summer days do - warm with winds out of the southwest at 10 to 15 knots and conditions on Buzzards Bay (MA) were running a typical two feet.

Departing the New Bedford Hurricane Barrier the boat headed southeast to the area near “Black Rock” to check on two vessels. One, a 24 foot center console turned out to be trolling. The other, a 21 foot cabin boat with three men onboard, was first thought to be seeking assistance. As the Auxiliary Patrol got closer it was realized the boaters were in fact hand lining. A quick wave from both boats and the patrol turned southwest down Buzzards Bay toward South Dartmouth.

The wind soon began gusting but seas were still around 2 feet with an occasional 3 footer as the patrol continued heading toward their next destination, “The Sandspit.” When they arrived the waves were rolling pretty well over “The Sandspit” and there were few mostly large sail boats enjoying the benefit of the good wind.

The patrol continued routinely at they proceeded northerly into Clarks Cove in New Bedford. They proceeded to the northern end of the cove then circled back out along the New Bedford beaches. The wind by this time had strengthened to about 20 knots.

The patrol continued across Clark’s Cove and around the Ricketson’s Point breakwater. Clearing Ricketson’s Point, the plan was to continue to Wilber’s Point at the southern end of Fairhaven. The wind was now blowing around 25 knots but the wind and the four foot rolling beam-sea was readily handled by the boat’s crew. As the patrol continued a comment was made by Coxswain Paul Sadeck to the crew, “we are just going over Bent’s Ledge, crew member Leo Lakes’ favorite fishing spot.”

Almost immediately crewmembers Leo Lake and Bob Joseph observed a small boat and people waving. The patrol pulled alongside a white 17 foot center console which was submerged to the gunnels. The two men aboard were waist deep in water with life jackets around their necks which had not been properly tied. The “captain’s” life jacket was actually on backwards. One boater spoke Spanish and the “captain” spoke broken English but Rodney Thomas, a trainee on our boat, spoke to them in Spanish. The time was around noon.

Offloading the victims to an ambulance at the dock.

The “captain” gestured to the south, saying there was another person was in the water.

The crew immediately called Coast Guard Station Menemsha and advised the station of the situation and the distressed boat’s position and asked for assistance. We asked them to contact the New Bedford police boat and the Fairhaven Harbor Master.

The station asked the Auxiliary patrol to attempt to locate the person in the water but after quick search of the immediate area they were unable to locate the missing boater. After the Auxiliarists advised the station of the failed search, they were directed to remove the boaters from the partially submerged boat. They were informed that the Coast Guard Station’s boat was enroute but due to sea conditions it would take about 45 minutes.

On the first attempt to remove the men from their vessel they appeared too afraid to leave. A second approach was attempted after we talked them through the process of properly securing their lifejackets.

After a large wave appeared behind their small boat, nearly rolling it over, both men then decided they wanted to get off as quickly as possible. On the second attempt the one of the men caught a thrown life ring, jumped into the water and was pulled to the patrol vessel. As the Auxiliarists made a third approach the second man jumped into the water where a life ring landed next to him and he was pulled aboard. Neither man was injured.

The distressed vessel “captain” reported that a third man had jumped or fallen off the boat “near a red buoy” when they had been swamped nearly an hour before. The closest red buoy, Bents Ledge, was nearly 1.25 nautical miles southwest - directly into the oncoming waves.

We headed for the buoy hoping to see the orange life jacket the rescued men said that their friend had donned. The first orange object spotted turned out to be an orange lobster buoy. The crew continued their route for several more minutes where Auxiliarists Bob Joseph and Leo Lake spotted orange dead ahead.

This time it was the third man. Appearing near exhaustion, he had his left arm around a child’s orange life jacket with a white fish cooler cushion tucked under his right arm. Another accurate toss of the life ring landed right over an upraised arm.

The Auxiliary crew continued to encourage him to him to hold on as they pulled him to safety. Conscious but lethargic and shivering, the rescued boater was holding his chest in pain. It was 21 minutes since first spotting the distressed boat.

CG Station Menemsha was advised that the Auxiliary patrol had the third party and his complaints of chest pain. The crewand arranged to have the Fairhaven Fire Department Ambulance meet the Auxiliary boat at the ramp adjacent to Flotilla 65. He was tended by the crew as the patrol headed for New Bedford harbor.

Fairhaven ambulance and fire department and police department were waiting and the injured man was transported to a hospital in New Bedford for treatment. The two other men refused medical treatment but were brought to the Coast Guard Auxiliary’s Fairhaven headquarters where they contacted their families.

~IJLA