CUTLER — The Maine Marine Patrol says it rescued two urchin fishermen Monday after their 25-foot boat capsized near the Washington County town of Cutler.
Officials say the boat operator, Carroll Perry, was suffering from hypothermia after he and the urchin diver, James Johnson, tumbled into the water near the mouth of Little Machias Bay around noon Monday.
The Department of Marine Resources said in a news release that the fishermen’s boat was swamped by a wave as Johnson tried to climb into the boat.
The men swam 400 feet to safety on a nearby ledge. Johnson, who was wearing a wetsuit, covered Perry in rockweed to protect him from the wind and cold while awaiting rescue. The air temperature was 26 degrees at the time.
The crew of a Maine Marine Patrol boat rescued them from the ledge despite 5- to 7-foot seas. The men declined medical treatment, and a local fisherman volunteered to tow their capsized boat to shore.
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