LYNN — Five people were rescued after their boat overturned in Lynn Harbor Thursday morning, fire officials said.
The fire department was called to the harbor around 10:40 a.m. after the group in the water managed to get the attention of someone on shore, according to Fire Chief Stephen Archer. All five people aboard the boat had life vests on, and were in the water for roughly half an hour before officials were notified.
Assistant Marina Manager David McQuarrie, who was one of the first on the scene, said the boat’s captain was a seasoned sailor with years of experience. On one of the last sails of the year, McQuarrie said, the captain over-packed his boat with less experienced sailors.
“He got cocky. He’s been boating for 60 plus years and got complacent,“ McQuarrie said. “The boat was overloaded. …They had five people in a 10-foot beam. … Someone shifted their weight, they caught a wave, and the boat just filled up and capsized.”
By the time the fire department arrived on the scene, the Lynn Harbormaster and a few good samaritans were assisting the people in the water. The group was taken to shore and evaluated by first responders. One man was taken to Salem Hospital for evaluation, Archer said.
“They seemed to be fine,” Archer said. “They were obviously very cold and wet.”
Archer emphasized the importance of those doing recreational boating being prepared for unlikely scenarios, like a boat overturning.
“It’s so important that people doing recreational boating always have personal flotation devices on,” he said. “That perhaps made the difference for them and why we had a good outcome here.”
McQuarrie credited everyone getting out safe to the fact that the captain made everyone wear life jackets.
“If these people today were not wearing life jackets, this wouldn’t have been a rescue, it would have been a recovery,” McQuarrie said.
Charlie McKenna can be reached at [email protected]. Anthony Cammalleri can be reached at [email protected]
