GOSNOLD, Mass. (AP) — A family of three who swam to safety on a secluded island after their boat caught fire and sank were found two days later, thanks to a marine radio that drifted ashore.
“Mayday, mayday, mayday! Our ship went down in Tarpaulin’s Cove!” Tyler Sullivan urgently relayed to a Coast Guard dispatcher early Wednesday. “Our boat caught fire while we were asleep, and we barely made it out!”
The Sullivan family set sail from Falmouth on Friday, planning to return Tuesday after a weekend anchored near Naushon Island, the largest in a series of islands between southeastern Massachusetts and Martha’s Vineyard. When they failed to return, a concerned relative alerted authorities Tuesday night, triggering a coordinated search involving the Falmouth police and the Harbormaster.
Audio from Broadcastify.com captures a Coast Guard dispatcher inquiring about the medical status of Sullivan’s parents and their capability to move or sit up. In the released mayday calls, Sullivan detailed their predicament and the boat’s demise.
“The vessel has sunk, and we are in the farmhouse,” Sullivan reported.
Not long after, a Coast Guard helicopter rescued the family, transporting them to a nearby hospital. Tyler’s brother, Christopher, shared with WCVB-TV that their mother was in critical but stable condition.
“Quick thinking and having quality equipment allowed the family to survive and call for help,” Scott Backholm, a search and rescue mission coordinator from Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England said in a statement.
Naushon Island, part of the Elizabeth Islands, is owned by the Forbes family but has several coves that are open to the public, according to a company that offers tourist excursions to the islands.
