Mass. Sheriff's Officers Save Man Who Fell Overboard into Rough Waters

Aug. 23, 2022

Fog and heavy rain were some of the challenges officers aboard Barnstable County Sheriff's Office's patrol boat faced as they rescued a boater who fell into the water near the coast of Martha's Vineyard.

By Tristan Smith

Source masslive.com

A Barnstable County, MA, sheriff's officer helps rescue a boater who fell into the water near the coast of Martha' Vineyard late Monday.

Police rescued a man who fell off his boat near the coast of Martha’s Vineyard late Monday morning. The man reportedly battled rough waves, heavy rain and a dense layer of fog for an hour before a sheriff patrol boat came to save him.

At 11:50 a.m. on Monday morning, the Barnstable County Sheriff’s Office received a distress call of a man who fell overboard east of Chappaquiddick Island at the end of Martha’s Vineyard, according to officials.

Officers on a Barnstable Sheriff’s Office patrol boat were strolling along the waters off Vineyard Haven at the time. After they heard the distress call, they immediately went into search and recovery mode. The Barnstable Sheriff’s Department said officers established contact with the US Coast Guard and sped toward Chappaquiddick Island where the man overboard call originated from.

Once officers arrived at the scene, they calculated the current and plotted the drift to give them a better idea of an approximate location. The sailor was found nearly an hour after the distress call was released, 1.6 nautical miles SSW of where he fell. Officers proceeded to pull the sailor out of the water and onto safety.

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