Yacht Bursts into Flames and Sinks off Maine

The 72’ (21.95 m) Marlow, Elusive, caught fire on the afternoon of June 25 on the Piscataqua River in southern New Hampshire. The owners of the boat, Arthur “Kitt” Watson, 67, and Diane Watson, 57, of New Canaan, CT, and their mate, Jarrod Tubbs, 33, of Jupiter, FL., jumped in the water with the Watson's two dogs before the flames quickly engulfed the boat.

The yacht was cruising on the Piscataqua heading toward a marina in New Castle, NH, around 4 p.m. Diane reportedly noticed black smoke belowdecks. The fire spread so quickly that the passengers couldn’t even grab lifejackets. Tubbs tried to put out the fire with an extinguisher, but the black smoke and flames were too intense.

“We could see a fireball coming up the companionway,” Kitt told the Portsmouth Herald newspaper. “It was like a fire-breathing dragon.”

Good Samaritans

The boat was en route from Florida to Camden, Maine, where some maintenance and repairs were scheduled at a marina. Tubbs tried to get to a liferaft, but the fire spread too quickly. The Watsons and Tubbs grabbed foam noodles and anything else that would help them float and jumped into the water with their dogs.

Tom Hadley, a part-time lobsterman from Hollis, Maine, who keeps a boat in Portsmouth, N.H., was among the boaters on the water who saw the fire and helped pull the Watsons and Tubbs aboard. The Watsons, Tubbs and the dogs were brought to Wentworth Marina where they were assisted by New Castle Fire Department responders. They were then taken to Portsmouth Regional Hospital where they were treated for mild hypothermia and released.

The Watsons thanked Hadley, the folks at Wentworth Marina and the first responders. A person from the marina took the dogs home and gave them food and water and let them play with his kids.

The Watsons and Tubbs are staying with family in Camden. Elusive floated across the border into Maine waters and sunk in about 70’ (21.33 m) of water. As of late June, there was no plan to salvage the yacht. Kitt Watson estimated she had about 1,500 gallons (5,678.11 L) of fuel on board and the Coast Guard was monitoring the situation. The yacht was insured and the Watsons plan to replace it and return to the water.