BOSTON — Two fishermen that went missing about eight miles east of the Cape Cod Canal in Cape Cod Bay, Mass., are safe after being rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter crew around 9 p.m., Wednesday, Oct. 28, 2009.
Rescued are Christopher Merl, 39, and Matthew Gregory, 18.
While performing a shoreline search, the Sandwich Police Department located a debris field from the 36-foot fishing boat Carol and Allison and notified the Coast Guard.
Shortly thereafter an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod located the two men about 50 yards offshore of Springhill Beach in Sandwich, Mass., hoisted them into the helicopter and transported them to the air station.
They are currently in good condition and have declined medical attention at this time.
“Fortunately the two men were wearing survival suits,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Seven Kent, the operations unit controller for Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England. “With the cooler air and water temperatures this time of year we highly recommend anyone on the water to wear a survival suit. This is a perfect example of how they can save your life.”
Boat crews from Coast Guard stations Cape Cod Canal and Provincetown, a Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Cape Cod, the Coast Guard Cutter Ida Lewis from Newport, R.I., and several local fishermen, were all involved in the search. Also assisting in the search were police departments from Sandwich, Mass., Bourne, Mass., Eastham, Mass., and Wellfleet, Mass., the Barnstable, Mass., fire department, Massachusetts Marine Environmental Protection Agency and the Massachusetts State Police.
The fishermen reported they were underway at 4 a.m., Wednesday, and their boat sank at 4:15 p.m.
The cause is unknown.
