General Boat Articles

Outer Reef Owner Assists in Rescue off Massachusetts

After being alerted by the crew of Silver Skye, the Mattapoisett Harbormaster and a personal watercraft rider help get five boaters out of the water after their boat capsized.

Nick and Robin, experienced cruisers and owners of the 2020 Outer Reef 610 Motoryacht, Silver Skye, have kept the team at Outer Reef apprised of their many adventures. Things stepped up, when during a cruise from Brielle, N.J., to Quincy, Mass., Nick and family friend Kurt found themselves playing the role of rescuers.

Capsized Skiff

Nick gave a first-hand account of the incident. “Last Friday as we were traveling from Hadley Harbor (New England anchorage and cruising ground south of Cape Cod) on the Elizabeth Islands to Quincy, Massachusetts, when I spotted what I initially thought was an individual on a jet ski,” wrote Nick.

“As I looked closer, I saw that he was waving frantically. I changed course and as I came closer, I saw that it was a capsized skiff with two individuals on the overturned hull and three more in the water hanging on to the hull,” he continued.

 

The 61 Outer Reef, Silver Skye, played a major role in the rescue.

“We alerted the Coast Guard and attempted to approach the capsized vessel. However, the winds and the sea state made it rather difficult. When we approached the scene, one of the individuals in the water, a woman, could not swim, so she looked particularly distressed,” Nick wrote. “With the sea-state being what it was and winds gusting to nearly 20 knots, I was concerned about bringing SILVER SKYE alongside them as we were rocking quite a bit.”

The Mattapoisett Harbormaster boat was launched in July and it was pressed into service.

A Positive Outcome

Nick and Kurt stayed in communication with the five victims, keeping them calm and assuring them that help was on the way. Fortunately, as Nick detailed, “The Mattapoisett Harbor Master was on scene within about 20 minutes of our call to the Coast Guard. The Harbor Master and his assistant did a great job of getting the five victims on board."