BANGOR, Maine — The man who was found deceased aboard a recreational fishing vessel early Thursday morning has been identified as a 59-year-old Vermont man, according to the Maine Department of Marine Resources.
Forest Woodruff, 59, of Jamaica, Vermont, reportedly died while fishing with Russell Smith, 57, of the same hometown, on Smith’s 28-foot fishing vessel, the Sea Bird, Maine Marine Patrol officials said Friday.
Smith notified Coast Guard personnel based in Portsmouth, New Hampshire, who responded with the Maine Marine Patrol.
The cause of Woodruff’s death remains under investigation.
According to an earlier news release, the Maine Marine Patrol was notified by the U.S. Coast Guard Sector Northern New England at 5:15 a.m. Thursday that they were towing a fishing vessel, registered in Maine, into York Harbor with a deceased person aboard.
Maine Marine Patrol Sgt. Tom Hale responded by truck and went to York Town Docks and Moorings, where the Sea Bird had been towed by the Coast Guard.
The Coast Guard said that the two men were fishing about 13 miles off York Harbor, near Jeffrey’s Ledge, Wednesday night when they experienced engine problems and dropped an anchor.
Smith fell asleep, and when he woke in the morning, he found Woodruff deceased near the open engine compartment. He then contacted the Coast Guard by VHF radio to report Woodruff’s death and that his vessel had become inoperable.