Scalloper Rescues Three Fishermen After Mayday Call
NEW BEDFORD (CBS) - Three friends who were out on a fishing trip Saturday south of Martha's Vineyard, had to jump ship after their boat began to sink
Their fate would end up in the hands of this Tom Quinton, a very alert scalloper.
Their 20 foot boat was taking on water and in a matter of seconds, it was sinking. The three men grabbed life jackets, and jumped in.
Remarkably, John Majewski started shooting video of him and his two buddies floating in the ocean.
WBZ-TV's Bill Shields reports
"When they gave the distress call, they told the Coast Guard that there was three bodies in the water," Quinton said. "So I thought this was going to be a rescue and recovery effort."
When Quinton arrived at their location he says they were relieved to see three people waving their arms.
The fishermen had life jackets on which saved their lives, but they did not have a GPS system which would have given rescuers their exact coordinates. What they did have was a VHF radio, so they could stay in contact with the fishing boat. That radio went down with the boat, but floated up to the men.
Quinton said the guys did a very good job of directing him to their location.
