On and Off the Rocks

HARWICH -- The hopes of three sailors for an exciting romp on the white-capped waters of Nantucket Sound were blasted around 12:30 p.m. Friday.

The three men had launched a 20-foot Hobie Cat from the east end of Red River Beach but were unable to drop the daggerboards and rudders fast enough to gain control and prevent the 20 to 25 knot southwest winds from blowing the vessel into a nearby jetty. All three were thrown into the water but able to clamber to safety on the jetty where the boat was snagged and tossed on its side.

The Harwich Fire Department and Harwich harbormaster responded to the scene. According to Harbormaster Tom Leach, the Coast Guard was notified but did not need to respond. The decision was made to pull the Cat off the rocks with the harbormaster's boat, Commander.

While the harbormaster returned to Saquatucket Harbor to retrieve the Commander and round up his crew of Tom Telesmanick and Heinz Proft, the sailors removed the Cat's mainsail with the help of Harwich firefighters.

Upon arriving back at the scene about 15 minutes later, Harbormaster Leach maneuvered for several minutes to get his vessel positioned in the right location.

When attempting a rescue such as the one carried out today, it is standard procedure to anchor the vessel and let it drift back to the proper position, says Leach. The first anchor used proved too light to hold the Commander, a 35-foot Duffy and former cod-fishing boat. The crew rigged and set a heavier anchor. When the Commander was in position, Telesmanick tossed a line attached to a life ring to those on the rocks.

One of the sailors retrieved the ring, removed the line and affixed it to the Cat. Then the Commander began pulling the vessel off the jetty. Unfortunately, the Cat's shrouds were hooked on the rocks and the mast snapped. Bereft of its pole, the now-upside down boat was slowly towed away to Saquatucket Harbor where it was reunited with its disappointed but safe and uninjured crew.

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