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Heres the update. Def a sad weekend when something like this happens. My wishes go out to the capts family.
Had to give assistance to a stranded down vessel on sat. Much calmer in Boston Harbor, but def makes me aware of the dangers of towing a vessel in.
NEW BEDFORD - (6/20/05) A 50-year-old boat captain died yesterday when his 25-foot commercial vessel capsized near Quicks Hole, a waterway separating Pasque and Nashawena islands in the Elizabeth Islands chain. Ken Murray of Fairhaven, owner and operator of the New Bedford-based charter fishing boat The Last Call, could not be resuscitated after being plucked from choppy Buzzards Bay waters. Murray's four passengers survived the incident and were taken by the Coast Guard to Menemsha station on Martha's Vineyard. Two were taken to Martha's Vineyard Hospital, where they remained in stable condition last night, Coast Guard spokesman Jay Cadorette said. The other two were taken to the marine safety office in Providence, R.I., to be interviewed by investigators. All four were visiting the area from Pennsylvania.
The Coast Guard Woods Hole station received a mayday call at 11:45 a.m. from a mariner who said he had been towing a disabled boat to shore when the vessel began taking on water and rolled, forcing the five men into 60-degree seas. Two other boaters came to the aid of the passengers, one scooping up four of them who were wearing life jackets and another retrieving Murray, who was already unconscious and not wearing a vest. The Coast Guard dispatched an HH-60 helicopter, a 110-foot cutter and a 21-foot small boat from the Woods Hole and Menemsha stations.
An EMT and rescue swimmer performed CPR on Murray at the scene, but efforts to revive him failed. His body was taken to the coroner's office on Martha's Vineyard. ''From what I understand, it's being considered a drowning, but we don't know what happened before he went into the water,'' Cadorette said. Quicks Hole slices between two private islands owned by the Forbes family in the Elizabeth Islands chain, which juts southwest from Cape Cod. It is a popular fishing spot, but the current moving between Buzzards Bay and Vineyard Sound can be dangerous.
Conditions yesterday were rougher than normal. ''It can be a hazard,'' said a spokesman from the Coast Guard Menemsha station. ''When you have such a massive amount of water going into a small area, it's like a washer.''
Swells yesterday were measured between 6 and 8 feet when the small craft capsized, Cadorette said, and winds were whipping around 20 knots. The Coast Guard successfully recovered the boat.
(Published: June 20, 2005)
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