SCARBOROUGH, Maine — The town’s marine resource officer rescued four kayakers on Monday after they got caught in a swift tide near the railroad trestle that spans the Nonesuch River, Scarborough police said in a news release shared on social media.
Marine Resource Officer Dave Corbeau was out taking water samples on the river in his boat, Marine4, when he noticed two kayakers, one of whom did not have a life jacket, crime analyst Jamie Higgins said.
The kayakers appeared to be struggling against the swift tide near the railroad trestle and were being drawn back toward the trestle, which has large pilings underneath, Higgins said.
Corbeau was able to position his boat lengthwise against the pilings, Higgins said. As Corbeau did so, one of the kayakers overturned and became pinned against a piling. After calling for help, Corbeau pulled both kayakers into his boat, at which point he discovered two more kayakers pinned under the trestle against the pilings.
Using a long pole, Corbeau was able to push the kayakers around the pilings and through to the other side of the trestle, where they continued upriver.
The two kayakers in Corbeau’s boat were pulled to safety on the railroad tracks, where firefighters were waiting. Firefighters picked up the other two kayakers farther downriver, Higgins said.
The strong current pinned Corbeau’s boat against the trestle so additional manpower was brought in to help push the boat off the trestle, Higgins said.
“All the kayakers were reunited with Corbeau at the Fishermen’s Co-Op, where they were able to thank him for potentially saving their lives,” Higgins said.
No one was injured, and the boat was only slightly damaged, Higgins said.