Updated, Oct. 16
Steamship Authority passengers and crew aboard a Monday afternoon ferry are receiving praise for assisting the U.S. Coast Guard in rescuing a man who went overboard into waters near Woods Hole, and was treading water for an extended period.
The man is in stable condition on Cape Cod as of Monday evening, officials report.
According to a Coast Guard spokesperson, the man was traveling aboard the Steamship ferry Nantucket when he landed in the water. The Coast Guard has said that it is unclear, as of Wednesday morning, how he ended up in the water.
In a Monday evening press release, the Coast Guard reported that the man, who has not been identified by first responders, had been treading water for over an hour and a half in six- to seven-foot waves and 30-knot winds, with poor visibility. The search took place one nautical mile south of Nobska Light.
The Coast Guard is still investigating, but both the Guard and top Steamship officials would not comment as to whether the individual jumped or fell.
The call came in at 3:19 pm. According to witnesses and the Coast Guard, when the Island Home was traveling from Woods Hole to Vineyard Haven, a passenger on board spotted the individual bobbing in the heavy surf before alerting the vessel’s crew. The crew then alerted the Coast Guard while launching rescue protocol.
Joe Graca, a Steamship Authority purser who was stationed on the Island Home at the time, told The Times that crew began readying a rescue boat and life preserver rings. They also circled the area, trying to keep an eye on the man in the water.
Graca said passengers, from older individuals to children, banded together and were looking out the boat windows searching, after Graca made an announcement over the ferry intercom. He said everyone involved recognized the “life-or-death situation” in the turbulent sea, and did what they could to look without complaint. They eventually lost sight of him, and Graca recalled the “looks of anguish” on people’s faces as they awaited news about his condition.
Eventually, a Coast Guard helicopter crew found the individual, a swimmer was deployed, and the man was hoisted into a helicopter.
The Coast Guard, in a statement, praised the Steamship Authority for its efforts in helping with the successful rescue.
“It is amazing the crew of the Island Home spotted the individual in weather conditions like that,” Coast Guard Petty Officer Trey Pflum, operations specialist responsible for communicating with responding assets. “Surviving those conditions can be very difficult. We are fortunate to have located the individual in time to rescue and transport to a higher level of care.”
According to the Coast Guard, the individual was transferred to Falmouth Hospital for evaluation. Even after more than an hour and a half, the man’s injuries were not believed to be life-threatening.
“The crew of the Island Home is very indebted to the passengers for trying to find this guy,” Graca said.
The Coast Guard is still investigating the incident. Falmouth Police, firefighters, EMS, and marine officers were on scene at the Woods Hole Steamship terminal on Monday afternoon as well, but did not provide comment. They left at 4:47 pm.
Ferries were canceled for Monday evening following the incident. It is unclear if the cancellations were made because of the high winds and waves, or because of the man overboard. The Steamship on Tuesday still had an advisory noting there could be cancellations and delays because of the weather.
On Tuesday, Steamship Authority General Manager Robert Davis and Port Council members thanked the crew and passengers for their quick action to help save the individual during the rough conditions.
“The Island Home stayed on scene until no further assistance could be provided,” Davis said during the Port Council meeting. “Our thanks and appreciation to the crew of the Island Home for their quick actions, which ultimately resulted in a positive outcome … [Also] thanks for the passengers on board who assisted in the attempts to locate the person.”
Davis told The Times on Tuesday no further details were available on how the incident occurred.
“We’re still trying to put together the sequence,” Davis said.
Crew members have since been getting accolades for their efforts. Some riders even showed up Tuesday morning with breakfast sandwiches for the crew as a token of their appreciation.
. I spent the past 24 hours working Purser on the Island Home. I cannot stress enough the efforts that the Captain has put on the crew to keep passengers from going outside and keeping people in their seats…. yet after announcing over and over again and begging people to remain in their seats and NOT GO OUTSIDE, you will always get those who REFUSE to listen and will argue with you when you enforce these actions for their own safety. While most Passengers were very grateful and we got many “ thank you’s for working today” There are always those that just have to push the limits. It boggles the mind !
The man is deaf so your comment is irrelevant. He would not have heard the announcement so maybe there can be an improvement made for the hearing impaired.
Thank you and the other crew members for your service under difficult circumstances. I heard the Captain was marvelous! Thanks to the super Coast Guard as well! I also read accounts that the passengers were brave in helping with the efforts. With regard to the person in the water, let us not judge their actions without knowing the circumstances. If they were a daredevil unwilling to follow the directions that is one thing. But there are other reasons why this may have happened.
Bravo to all crew, passengers, coast guard and all rescuers. So wonderful when all the training and skill in such miserable weather conditions make a rescue like that possible.
Hey Peggy, just came across this article and thought about you. And here you are..
My question, after reading and re-reading, didn’t ANYONE on the Nantucket notice that this guy fell overboard?
What happened on the Nantucket during the 90 minute period the guy was treading water before he was spotted by a passenger on the Island Home, a totally different boat than the one he fell from. Had any alerts gone out to the Coast Guard, the Steamship Authority, and/or to other boats in the area?
Either the boat just kept going or we’ve got some really sloppy journalism going on here.
The guy’s rescue is miraculous given the weather and location. Whew!
No one noticed him going overboard.
You seriously think the crew and passengers of the Nantucket would have ignored a person overboard? The only sloppiness is your thought process.
Great job with a good outcome, but how on earth do you “fall” off the ferry?
In reading one of the comments, the woman indicated the person picked out of the water was deaf. I’m going to take her at her word and not believe she was being facetious. If he was deaf, I’m wondering where his common sense ran off to. Or was it an accident.
Looking forward to the continuing story.
Thank you to all involved,
Comments are closed.