ROCKLAND, Maine — Two men from Matinicus Island were rescued on Valentine’s Day after their lobster boat sank off Monroe Island, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.
Craig MacLeod, 57, and his son, Samuel MacLeod, 29, were headed to Rockland to get supplies before the blizzard when their 35-foot boat, Loretta, began taking on water about 9 a.m., Petty Officer Joseph Puterbaugh said Saturday afternoon.
Both men were wearing survival suits, he said. They were treated by emergency crews in Rockland and released.
“We credit them for being prepared,” Puterbaugh said. “It saved their lives.”
The temperature Saturday morning was 7 degrees, the water temperature was 32 degrees and the wind was about 10 knots, according to the petty officer.
As the Coast Guard was preparing to head out to Monroe Island, personnel called the Capt. Charles Philbrook ferry to ask its captain to be on the lookout for the Loretta. The ferry was on its way from Vinalhaven to Rockland.
Crew members on the ferry spotted the MacLeods and took the ferry’s rescue boat out for them, Puterbaugh said. The men had been in the water about 10 minutes when they were rescued.
The Coast Guard met the rescue boat as it was returning to the ferry and took the fishermen to shore.