The Wareham Department of Natural Resources helped rescue six people from a vessel that was sinking near the Cape Cod Canal at about 6:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 22.

The boat, a 24-foot bow rider type, had taken on water after a large wave had crossed the open bow, filling the open cockpit with water. 

The wave washed one person, who was not wearing a lifejacket, overboard. As the person struggled to tread water, another who was wearing a life jacket jumped over to help them stay afloat.

Within minutes, the Department of Natural Resources and the Onset Fire Department’s boat crew arrived to the scene in Hog Island Channel and firefighters pulled the two people from the water. The remaining four people were rescued from the boat, and all were transported to the Massachusetts Maritime Academy, where Emergency Medical Services and Fire Department personnel were waiting.

The boat was salvaged and towed to a marina for haul-out.

“Bow rider boats tend to have a pretty high risk of swamping in pretty high wave conditions,” said Harbormaster Garry Buckminster, who noted that boaters need to be aware of the limitations of their vessel. “The water is such a powerful creature.”

Buckminster said boaters should check the mariner’s forecast and be aware of their surroundings when they go out on the water. That awareness and knowledge is especially crucial in the canal, which can be very turbulent.

The Department of Natural Resources thanked the numerous agencies who assisted in the rescue: Wareham Police Communications Officer; Onset Fire Department; the crew at TowBoat US, who stabilized the boat; Wareham Fire; Wareham EMS; Bourne Police, Fire, and Natural Resources; and the Army Corp of Engineers Patrol Boat Belmont.