Coast Guard, local agencies rescue fisherman off Provincetown pier

[The Patriot]

BOSTON — A Coast Guard 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crew along with the Provincetown Harbormaster and Provincetown Police and Fire Departments rescued a fisherman after he fell overboard Saturday night near MacMillan Pier in Provincetown.

Coast Guard watchstanders received a mayday call from the fishing vessel Resolute at around 9:30 pm Saturday stating a crewmember had fell overboard near the pier.

The crew of the Resolute threw the man a life ring, which had a strobe light attached to it, but were unable to recover him.

A 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crew from Coast Guard Station Provincetown arrived on scene at around 9:45 pm, along with the Provincetown Harbor Master.

“The weather was nasty,” said Chief Petty Officer James Zerinskas, the coxswain of the 47-foot Motor Lifeboat. “The wind was around 28 knots, visibility was only a quarter mile, and air temperature was 27 degrees at the time.”

Despite the conditions, the harbormaster was able to locate the fisherman by seeing the flashing strobe attached to the life ring. Two Coast Guard crewmembers quickly transferred over to the harbormaster’s boat and assisted in pulling the man from the 39-degree water.

The man was immediately moved to Provincetown Emergency Medical Services personnel to be treated for hypothermia.

“He’s alive because of the life ring and strobe and the fast response of the Provincetown crews,” said Scott Backholm, the command duty officer at Sector Southeastern New England’s command center. “This demonstrates the importance of having a life ring with an operable strobe light.”




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