A boat in Lake Tashmoo in Vineyard Haven was saved from a watery grave thanks to the quick action of harbormaster John Crocker.
At 8:30 am Sunday — amidst Henri rain and winds — the harbormaster’s office received a call from a waterfront homeowner at the head of the lake. The homeowner reported a vessel on a mooring that was low in the water. The homeowner made attempts to bail water out, but the boat kept taking on water.
The boat is a 22-foot Mako named Haven Grace.
Crocker contacted Haven Grace’s owner, Dan Feeney. Heading out on a town skiff, Crocker then worked to pump out water, and plugged the leak with the help of Feeney’s relative.
“The transom is cut low, and was several inches below the waterline. The transom area is separated from the deck; however the entire bilge area was flooded,” Crocker told The Times. “As I approached the vessel, the cut-out transom was several inches under water. I began by pumping out the deck with a bilge pump we have rigged for this purpose. I could then see the water was entering the deck from the deck drains. I plugged the deck drains and pumped the deck dry.”
The boat was taken to Lake Street landing to determine the cause of the flooding.
In a letter to The Times and copied to town administrator Jay Grande, Feeney thanked Crocker for his efforts.
“During last Sunday’s wind and rain, the harbormaster was alerted to my boat that was sinking in Lake Tashmoo. Of all the bad timing, the boat was sinking due to a mechanical problem,” he wrote. “[Crocker] investigated and then provided a pump that saved the day and the boat. He also remained onsite to assure we could get the boat safely out of the water for repairs.
John is a great harbormaster and an easy person to deal with. Thanks for all you do.”