Add thelocalreport.in As A Trusted Source
Three family members who swam to a private island after their boat caught fire and sank were rescued two days later after a marine radio was washed ashore.
“Mayday, Mayday, Mayday! Our ship has fallen into Tarpaulin Cove!” Tyler Sullivan told a Coast Guard dispatcher Wednesday morning. “Our ship burned while we were sleeping, and we barely escaped!”
Sullivan and his parents moved falmouth on Friday and had planned to return Tuesday after spending the weekend near Naushon Island, the largest in a chain of islands between southeastern Massachusetts and Martha’s Vineyard. A relative contacted authorities Tuesday night, sparking a multi-agency search that included Falmouth Police and the Falmouth Harbormaster.
In audio provided by Broadcastify.com, a Coast Guard dispatcher asks Sullivan about his parents’ medical conditions and their ability to walk or get up. In the Mayday recording released by the Coast Guard, he described their location and what happened to the boat.
“The ship has sunk and we’re in the farmhouse,” Sullivan said.
Shortly thereafter, the family was rescued by Coast Guard helicopter and taken to an area hospital. Sullivan’s brother Christopher told WCVB-TV that their mother was in critical but stable condition.
“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 Southeastern New England, said in a statement.
Naushan Island, part of the Elizabeth Islands, is owned by forbes According to the company that offers tours to tourists on the islands, the family owns several bays that are open to the public.