Man who fell overboard near Chappaquiddick saved by sheriff's patrol boat
EDGARTOWN — A man who fell overboard Monday near Chappaquiddick Island was in the water for about an hour before being rescued by the Barnstable County Sheriff's Office Patrol Boat, according to a press release from the office of Sheriff James Cummings.
Two men were sailing in fog, rain and rough seas Monday east of the island when one of them fell overboard. The other man on the boat attempted to turn around to find his mate, but in the fog he couldn’t see him, Sheriff James Cummings said.
"The good news is he had on a life jacket, which probably saved his life,” said Cummings in a phone interview.
The man onboard put out a distress call at 11:50 a.m. to the U.S. Coast Guard. At the time of the distress call, two crew members of the S300, the sheriff's patrol boat, were patrolling the waters off Vineyard Haven on the other side of the island.
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The two crew members went into search and rescue mode, according to the release. It took them about 30 minutes to reach the location of the distress call, and by 12:49 p.m. they had located the man who had fallen overboard. They pulled him from the water, and he was taken to his sailboat, where he sailed out. He had no injuries, according to the release.
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"The boat has received a lot of controversy lately, it just shows that public safety is necessary, no matter what it costs, if it saves somebody’s life it's worth it,” said Cummings.
On July 30, the sheriff's department patrol boat was used escorted a bride to the altar at the Nauticus Marina in Hyannis. One candidate in the upcoming race for sheriff questioned whether the boat's role was within the mission of the department.
Contact Asad at ajung@capecodonline.com. Follow him on Twitter: @AsadJung.
This article originally appeared on Cape Cod Times: Barnstable County Sheriff's boat crew saves man who fell overboard
