Family rescued after being stranded on small island off Cape Cod after boat caught fire
WOODS HOLE, Mass. WOODS HOLE, Mass. (AP) — A family was rescued Wednesday by the Coast Guard off Cape Cod after their 30-foot pleasure boat caught fire and they were forced to swim to a small island where they sheltered in a barn for nearly two days.
When the mother, father and their son did not return as expected Tuesday evening, a relative contacted authorities. The Coast Guard, along with Falmouth Police and the Falmouth Harbor Master, launched an all-night search. Calls to family went to voicemail.
On Wednesday, the son was able to use the marine radio of the boat, stranded on the island, to call the coast guard. Shortly afterward, the family was rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter from Naushon Island and airlifted to an area hospital.
“Quick thinking and quality equipment allowed the family to survive and call for help,” Scott Backholm, search and rescue mission coordinator for Coast Guard Sector Southeast New England, said in a statement.
The Coast Guard said the family planned to remain anchored between Cape Cod and Martha’s Vineyard through the weekend before returning Tuesday afternoon. The coast guard said they were awakened by the fire, but did not say how far they had to swim to reach the island or the nature of their injuries.
Naushon Island is the largest of the Elizabeth Islands, a chain of islands located between southeastern Massachusetts and Martha’s Vineyard.
Hyannis Deputy Fire Chief Jeff Lamothe told Boston 25 News his crew transported the family to Cape Cod Hospital. One family member was in critical condition and two others were in stable condition, he said. No one answered the Hyannis Fire Department’s phone Wednesday evening seeking more information.
