Massachusetts

Bystanders, firefighters rescue 3 from sailboat stuck off Plymouth

A 911 caller reported the sailboat was in distress and close to the shore off the Center Hill Preserve on Wednesday

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With the help of helpful local residents, three people were pulled from a sailboat in distress close to the shore in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on Wednesday, firefighters said.

Video from the scene shows the sailors jumping into the choppy surf, where people bundled in cold weather gear were waiting in the water to shuttle them to the beach. It was a cold day, and was snowing in parts of the Greater Boston area.

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One of the bystanders who helped the two men and a woman before firefighters arrived was retired Plymouth Fire Battalion Chief Michael Roy. He and others wore wetsuits as they tried to help the stranded people, the Plymouth Fire Department said.

Rescuers in wetsuits helped three people aboard a sailboat come to shore on a cold Wednesday morning in Plymouth, Massachusetts.
A water rescue involving a sailboat close to shore in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023.
NBC10 Boston via stringer
A water rescue involving a sailboat close to shore in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023.

The incident unfolded off the Center Hill Preserve. A 911 caller reported the sailboat was in distress and close to the shore near 92 Center Hill Road about 7:30 a.m., according to Plymouth fire officials.

Firefighters found the sailboat, which had left Boston on a trip to Florida Wednesday, aground about 75 to 100 feet from the shore. Two members of the department wearing survival gear headed into the ocean and escorted the boat's occupants to shore.

A water rescue involving a sailboat close to shore in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023.
NBC10 Boston via stringer
A water rescue involving a sailboat close to shore in Plymouth, Massachusetts, on Wednesday, Dec. 6, 2023.

None of the sailors were injured, but they were taken to a hospital to be checked for possible exposure, firefighters said.

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