Fairhaven firefighters, harbormaster use 'i911' tech to locate lost Hingham boater

A Fairhaven Fire Department marine unit, accompanied by the Fairhaven harbormaster, was able to locate a lone sailor believed to have been struggling amid Wednesday night's fogginess.

Around 5:30 p.m. on June 26, "an older gentleman" was aboard the 30-foot sailing vessel named "Annie," according to the U.S. Coast Guard, when another mariner reported that the vessel's operation appeared "disoriented," in an area of Buzzards Bay off Westport. Fairhaven Fire Chief Todd Correia said the man was from Hingham.

Attempts by the Coast Guard to contact him were unsuccessful, according to USCG Lt. Adam Schmid. However, even a couple "hangup" calls were enough to leverage technology to determine where to look for him, Schmid said.

"We were able to locate him via i911 , which is a great thing for boaters," Schmid said of the service that makes it easier for first responders to locate a 911 caller using GPS tracking.

According to Fairhaven Fire Chief Todd Correia, Fairhaven's marine unit — with Fairhaven Harbor Master Timothy Cox aboard — had just been dispatched at 7:49 p.m., headed to where the boater was originally reported near Westport, when they were rerouted five minutes later to Kettle Cove at Naushon Island out by Cuttyhunk, based on the new information.

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"It took us about 45 minutes to locate him," Correia said, noting Dartmouth Fire District 1's marine unit was out of service at the time, and Westport does not have marine units suitable for the distance this call entailed. "No medical needs; he was found to be lost in the area."

By the time the man was reached, he was reportedly anchored at the cove, Schmid said.

According to Correia, other agencies involved with Wednesday's response were: Westport Harbormaster, Dartmouth Harbormaster, New Bedford Fire Department, and the New Bedford Police Department.

SouthCoast first responders cover waters out to Cuttyhunk

Schmid said Wednesday is an example of how instrumental the Buzzards Bay Task Force is.

"They're essential to a lot of what we do, and a lot of times, especially in the summer when there's more people boating across Southeastern New England, we rely heavily on that relationship," Schmid said, noting it's likely the Fairhaven unit made its way to the boater sooner than the USCG would have been able to on its own.

"We kind of share that geographical jurisdiction between the group to make sure we cover mariners," Correia said, noting those mariners are most often residents of the Task Force's member communities. "So us, New Bedford, Mattapoisett and Marion tend to cover all the way out there. Cuttyhunk has no response."

Boat safely this summer

With more traffic out on the water, Schmid said summer is the season when there's likely to be an uptick in boating emergencies and calls like Wednesday's. To help avoid difficulties, he said boaters should keep the following in mind:

• Know the weather forecast for the area you plan on boating ahead of time.
• Inform someone of your plans. "Let someone know where you're going and if you expect to be back around a certain time, so if you're not, they know to get help," Schmid said.

• ALWAYS wear a life vest when out on the water, whether out on something small like a paddleboard, canoe or kayak, or a larger vessel.
• Use "IF FOUND" stickers/labeling. Stickers are available at most marinas, Schmid said, however, boat owners can merely display their name and contact info on the outside of their boats somewhere however possible to help authorities return equipment to rightful owners, as well as save time/resources on needless searches for passengers.

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• Anyone can register for the i911 service used to help locate the Hingham boater Wednesday. This can be done online at www.i911.com . i911 was launched and subsequently adopted by the U.S. Coast Guard in 2020, according to the USCG website.

This article originally appeared on Standard-Times: Fairhaven firefighters, harbormaster use 'i911' tech to locate lost Hingham boater