Scalloping boat capsizes, taking the lives of a beloved Island couple

A version of this story was published for print, on stands Jan. 8. It can be found here.

Updated Jan. 2

Legendary fisherman and boat captain, Roy Scheffer, and his partner, Patricia Bergeron, who dedicated her life to the service of others, died on New Year’s Day after their fishing boat capsized in frigid temperatures amid a squall of snow and gusting winds while hauling scallops off Cow Bay in Edgartown.

The Coast Guard said first responders received a call for help at 11 am, and they dispatched rescue teams out of both the Air Station Cape Cod and Station Woods Hole Coast Guard bases. The Coast Guard confirmed they located a sinking skiff and that two bodies were recovered from the nearby water, but both were unresponsive and not breathing at the time.

A Friday afternoon press release from the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s Office states Scheffer and Bergeron were found near the overturned vessel about a half-mile from Edgartown. Investigators who returned on Friday “observed the propeller was entangled in a polypropylene style line. While the investigation remains open, no foul play is suspected in what the office called a “horrible accident.”

The bodies were taken to Oak Bluffs Harbor, officials said, where they were rushed to Martha’s Vineyard Hospital in critical condition and were later pronounced dead as three generations of the Scheffer family gathered and began to learn of the tragedy. It marks the first death at sea for an Island fishing family in nearly a decade.

“Our thoughts and [heartfelt] condolences are with the families and loved ones during this difficult time. Martha’s Vineyard has lost two pillars of their community which will be deeply felt,” a statement from the DA’s office reads.

The news has devastated the tight-knit fishing community on Martha’s Vineyard, which yesterday was left reeling with grief and unanswered questions. They were a beloved and well-known Island couple, both born and raised on the Island. Both had large extended and blended families and a network of good friends that centered around the fishing industry and the Portuguese-American community.

Roy Scheffer, commonly known as “the Royster,” graduated from the Martha’s Vineyard Regional High School in 1966. He was 77. Bergeron, 69, worked for more than 40 years at the hospital and is a past president of the Portuguese American Club in Oak Bluffs, where she served on the board of directors since 1975. Bergeron, known as Tricia, was also an avid cribbage player and wrote a twice-monthly Cribbage Club column for The Times for many years. As they often did, they were working together on the scalloping boat when the accident occurred on New Year’s Day.

Fishing runs in the Scheffer family’s blood. After graduating high school, Roy began working on fishing boats and ventured as far as the Grand Banks in pursuit of swordfish. He commanded a generation of fishermen that came to define the Menemsha waterfront through the 1970s and into the 1990s. Later he started the Roysters oyster farm in Katama Bay. He instilled a love for the fishing trade in his sons. Jeremy Scheffer farms oysters in Katama Bay and Menemsha Pond and owns Spearpoint Oysters. Noah Scheffer started Little Minnow Oyster Co. in Katama Bay. And Isaiah Scheffer is Chilmark’s shellfish constable. Isaiah’s son, Matteus, is among the next generation fishermen and is well known on the Menemsha pier where he works alongside his extended family, including the Larsens.

Confirming two deaths on Friday morning, the Cape and Islands District Attorney’s office said it is believed that the foul weather played a prominent role. The office described a “significant weather system” that suddenly came through the Vineyard that brought snow, sleet, 20-knot winds, and sea swells of up to six feet.

“The preliminary investigation does not suggest foul play, and it appears at this time that the weather played a role in this tragedy. The investigation is ongoing at this time,” said Danielle Whitney, director of community programs and public relations at the district attorney’s office.

According to Edgartown Fire Chief Alexander Schaeffer, the incident was reported to emergency responders at around 11:05 am on Thursday.

Schaeffer said first responders located the two individuals in the water and rescued them with assistance from the Oak Bluffs Fire Department, Tisbury Fire Department, and the U.S. Coast Guard. The individuals were taken to the Martha’s Vineyard Hospital and were last reported by Schaeffer on Thursday afternoon to be in critical condition before their deaths.

As is standard practice, the incident is under investigation by Massachusetts State Police. A representative was not immediately available for comment.

The names of the deceased were not initially released by the Coast Guard, but as news began to spread in the fishing community, multiple sources confirmed that the two on board were Scheffer and Bergeron. Social media posts from family members since Thursday also confirmed that the couple lost their lives in the incident, as the families and close friends of the beloved couple began to circle together in support.

The couple’s death aboard the scalloping boat marked the first fatal incident for the Island fishing fleet since June 2016 when Luke Gurney of Oak Bluffs died while setting pots for conch off of Nantucket.

Based on information provided from fishermen and first responders, it appears the couple ran into trouble amid the frigid water and high winds when a drag line used in the scalloping operation caught in the gears used to haul up the bushels of bay scallops that they were harvesting at the time. The season for bay scallops reaches a peak in the winter and offers a lucrative and hard-earned bounty for the Island fishing industry.

Menemsha fishing boat captain, Buddy Vanderhoop, knew Roy Scheffer since high school and they have worked in the fishing industry together on the Island for virtually all of their adult lives.

Vanderhoop described Scheffer as “a huge presence.”

“A great guy, just a great guy,” he said, explaining, “The Scheffers are at the heart of the shellfish industry on the Island, and that all began with Roy. … This is just a huge loss for the fishing community and for the whole Island.”

Editor’s note: The story has been updated with the confirmation of the deaths of Roy Scheffer and Patricia Bergeron as well as additional details about the incident from officials and the Vineyard fishing community. The headline has also been changed.