ABLE BODIED SEAMEN

A couple of our favorite seasonal visitors took advantage of a very modest and short-lived window of opportunity between two rather extraordinary blizzards to drive a (two wheel drive) Penske rental truck up here from their winter digs in Connecticut to off load a little furniture at their island home. The adventure that would become trying to get into and out of their substantial and snowy island driveway in blizzard conditions paled compared to the ferry ride.  Not many folks—this couple’s truck and three or four other vehicles—were on the Capt. Charles Philbrook as it pulled routinely away from the slip in Rockland at 8:45. As soon as the ferry cleared the breakwater, however, it became clear this was not going to be a routine trip.  Emerging from Rockland Harbor, Captain Peter Drury suddenly steered south from the ferry’s customary easterly route and headed toward Mussel Ridge Channel.  The Captain was responding to a distress call from two fellows aboard a rapidly sinking lobster boat just south of Monroe Island and by the time the doomed vessel came into view, most of it was under water and the two occupants were just emerging from the pilot house having donned survival suits.  There have been concerns voiced recently that the training and likely response capabilities of ferry service crew might not be all it could be and, while the need for continual attention to mechanics—the lifeboat’s outboard certainly—there was certainly no hesitation or confusion about what needed to be done.  As the ferry approached the shoal water near the sinking boat two of its crewmen, Chuck Holzhauer and Joshua Ripton, each classified as an ‘Able Bodied Seaman’ proved they were precisely that.  Having quickly donned their own survival suits the two boarded the ferry’s lifeboat and were lowered down to the water.  The Evinrude would not respond to the electric starter and efforts to get it going by pulling its jammed or frozen starter cord were no more successful.  The two were not deterred, however, and paddling for all they were worth, came alongside the two men, now in the water where there had once been a boat, pulled them in and headed back for the ferry.  The Coast Guard arrived just after the two were rescued, towed the lifeboat back to the ferry, and then took the two fortunate islanders ashore for medical attention.  Chuck and Josh returned to the Philbrook, were hoisted back aboard and quickly returned to their duties to no fanfare other than the enthusiastic applause of the ferry’s few but admiring passengers, all of whom had gathered at the rail to watch and appreciate ferry crew’s truly professional response to what might otherwise have been a tragedy.