ST. GEORGE — Emergency crews rescued a man after his skiff overturned off St. George on Sunday night.
Dispatchers received a call at 4:45 p.m. reporting that the man had failed to arrive back on the mainland when expected. The man had gone out in a skiff to try to find parts of a private dock that had washed away during the two storm surges this month.
A few minutes later, a caller reported hearing a man yelling for help in the vicinity of Northern Island off Tenants Harbor. The Maine Marine Patrol said the man was conscious but unable to move after being submerged in the icy waters. The man swam to the island after his skiff overturned.
With assistance from St. George Fire and Rescue and volunteers, the man was taken off the island in a Marine Patrol boat, transferred to a waiting U.S. Coast Guard vessel and then transported to shore in Tenants Harbor where an ambulance took him to Pen Bay Medical Center in Rockport suffering from low body temperature.
The water temperature was 40 degrees. Winds were light and air temperatures were near freezing.
The Marine Patrol declined to release the man’s name at his request.
“This would not have been accomplished without the help from each and every person who was involved tonight. We want to extend our deepest gratitude to all of you for showing up and putting in the work, like you always do,” St. George Fire and Rescue said in a Facebook post.
More than 25 first responders answered the call and rescue crews gathered at the Tenants Harbor public landing.
About 8 p.m., the last remaining responders were shuttled off the island by lobsterman Ryan Miller.
“While tonight’s outcome feels like a victory, we do not know at this time what the future holds for our patient. Please keep him and his family in your thoughts on his road to recovery,” the post said.
“What we can all do tonight is take notes from the family and implement this one simple thing that kept tonight from having a tragic outcome: Have a plan. When you are going out on the water, establish check in times. If those times are missed, call it in. You are not overreacting,” the Facebook post said.
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