The mother in the family of three who were marooned on Naushon Island for 30 hours died on Thursday last week, the family announced on Friday morning.
A son of the family, Christopher Sullivan, wrote on his personal Facebook page that his mom, 73-year-old Cynthia Sullivan, also known as Cici, died while at Cape Cod Hospital. “My mom passed away last night. She went in peace. We played her some John Mellencamp as she passed; he was her absolute favorite, she adored him.”
Cynthia Sullivan was one of three rescued Wednesday morning from Naushon after the Sullivan family’s boat caught fire Monday and they were forced to swim ashore, where they took refuge in a farmhouse.
According to first responders, the three — Patrick Sullivan, Cynthia, and their son Tyler Sullivan — left aboard the Third Wave from Eel Pond on Friday, and were expected to anchor off Naushon Island for the weekend and return Tuesday evening. When they didn’t return, Christopher alerted public safety officials.
Falmouth Police report that they were contacted at 1:21 am early Wednesday morning by the Coast Guard, who requested the local department do a shoreline search of East Falmouth. The search lasted until 4:30 am, with negative results. The Coast Guard, Falmouth harbormaster, and volunteers from Naushon Trust also conducted a search overnight, to no avail.
“Calls to the crew of the vessel went straight to voicemail, and cell phone pings could not give an accurate location,” a press release from the Coast Guard said.
Chuck Martinsen, deputy director for Falmouth’s Marine and Environmental Services Department, whose office was also alerted by the Coast Guard to the missing boaters, said he notified the caretaker on Naushon Island “on a hunch” that they might be near Tarpaulin Cove.
Coincidentally, as the caretaker was on his way to the cove, Tyler found that their marine radio had washed ashore on the beach, and had sent a mayday call — “Our ship burned while we were sleeping. We barely escaped” — according to NewsCenter 5.
Volunteers of the Naushon Trust, which owns the island, were the first to reach the family, and administered first aid. The Coast Guard from Air Station Cape Cod then located the family and made the rescue, transporting them to Cape Cod Gateway Airport Wednesday morning.
The three had suffered severe burns from the fire, and were taken to Cape Cod Hospital in Hyannis via helicopter to be treated, according to the Coast Guard. NewsCenter 5 reported Thursday that the mother was in stable but critical condition at the Cape hospital alongside her son, while the father was flown to a Boston hospital’s burn unit.
The Coast Guard said the family had been stranded for 30 hours. In the middle of the night Monday, the 30-foot pleasure boat experienced a catastrophic event — a vessel fire that sounded electrical, Lt. Quinn LeCain, public affairs officer for the Coast Guard, said. The family awoke to the fire — news outlets report that their dogs alerted them — and was forced to abandon the ship, which sank, and swim ashore. The dogs didn’t make it, news outlets report.
In his message on Facebook, Christopher Sullivan said that the rest of the family is still recovering. “My dad is awake and breathing on his own,” he wrote. “My brother saved both of them; he was able to get them off the boat under extremely chaotic circumstances. He doesn’t want to be called a hero, but he is.” Christopher also included a link to a GoFundMe created to raise money for funeral and recovery expenses.
Naushon Island, the largest of the Elizabeth Islands, is under the jurisdiction of Dukes County, and as of the 2000 census, has 30 inhabitants. It was owned by railroad magnate John Murray Forbes, then left in a trust, Naushon Island Trust, Inc., to his children; his descendants continue to own the island.
The incident was originally being investigated by the Coast Guard and State Police, but an update from the Coast Guard Thursday afternoon said, “Investigative officers were briefed on the incident and determined that due to the vessel being only state-registered and used for recreation, it does not meet the criteria for Coast Guard investigation.” It is currently unclear if State Police will still conduct an investigation. They have not responded to a request for comment.
Danielle Whitney, spokesperson for Cape and Islands District Attorney Robert J. Galibois, confirmed that his office is investigating the accident.
This story was broadcast on the national news last evening. The family dog’s barking alerted the sleeping family to the fire. The dog did not make it and the mom is in critical condition. Amazing story of survival. Give extra hugs to your dog today.
Thank God this turned out a fairly good ending.
The dog ?????
My dog walked around the neighborhood in Falmouth several times with this adorable little dog, along with other doggie friends in the neighborhood, and we walked with him as recently as late last week. He was happy and walked joyfully. His name was Buddy and he was a sweet boy who did not deserve this horrific fate. Buddy died a hero and it’s painful to reconcile that he could not be saved. The parents also had a young dog who perished on the boat. There were two dogs who died in this boat fire. Sadly, the mother passed away early in the evening Thursday night. The details of this entire event are painful and it has ended in three deaths out of five souls on board.Heartbreaking.
Having been a sailor up until a couple of years ago this is an incredibly sad and scary event. I have been praying for this family. This is going to sound snarky but I can’t help but wonder how our neighbors who spend the winter in homeless shelters and depend on the food pantry feel about a go fund me for people who can afford a sailboat.
Carlolyn, there is nothing snarky about ignorance. Did you know there are homeless people who own nice things? Sometimes a GoFundMe is a way to support a family emotionally, not just financially. It also helps the community at large to be able to offer something, anything, in a situation that makes most compassionate people feel utterly helpless. There was a recent tragic story about a toddler dying while at daycare. There was a GoFundMe page for that family as well, to build a playground in memory of the child. The outpouring was so great that several playgrounds can now be built. Think before you post.