Just in time, the Boston Police Department’s harbor patrol unit rescued a father and son desperately clinging to a cooler on the outer edge of Boston Harbor following his lobster boat sank.
Officers Stephen Merrick and Garrett Boyle responded to a call from a boat that was sinking around 6:30 p.m. Wednesday near the Graves Light Station, police said in a statement. The privately owned lighthouse sits on a rocky islet regarding 9 miles (14.5 kilometers) offshore.
Upon approaching, officers only saw a small portion of the Glory Days ship’s bow above the water, but as they approached they saw the two men holding a blue cooler that was rocking.
“You might see the fear on their faces,” Merrick said. “They were cold. They seemed very tired and weak.”
The dramatic rescue was caught on police body camera video. “We are so weak,” the young man is heard saying.
He then asked the agents to rescue his 76-year-old father, who was wearing a life jacket.
“Help him up, please” said. “Help him up first.”
The younger man, who was holding a life preserver, was loaded into the police boat by officers.
The men said their boat’s 8.5-meter motor became entangled in the lobster lines and failed. The current pushed the boat onto rocks and punctured the hull, police said.
The men were brought to shore where emergency medical technicians treated them for minor injuries. His boat was towed from the scene.
(With information from AP)
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