Maine Boat Rescue: Good Samaritans Save 3

ROQUE BLUFFS, ME — Several Good Samaritans saved three people aboard a boat taking on water off the Maine coast Wednesday, according to the Coast Guard. The rescue happened about 30 miles south of Englishman Bay. The Coast Guard said three people aboard the vessel Variant called for help Wednesday at about 9:50 a.m. as their boat took on water.

(Sign up for free daily newsletters and breaking news alerts from Augusta Patch.)

"The boat’s bilge pumps could not keep up with the flooding," the Coast Guard said in a statement. Coast Guard boats were dispatched to the scene. Boaters aboard the vessels Outnumbered and Rattlesnake came across the Variant and helped the crew pump out water.

“They pumped about 50 gallons a minute for about an hour,” Coast Guard Petty Officer Mike Miller said in a statement. "The captain of the Rattlesnake got onboard to help with the dewatering and assess the engine problem that was causing the flooding. The captain of Variant was able to eventually locate the cause of the flooding, and stop it by securing the damaged engine."

After the flooding stopped, the Variant crew continued their journey to Chester, Nova Scotia, according to the Coast Guard.

“In many of the cases we respond to, (Good Samaritans) are the first on scene and provide valuable experience that has been handed down for generations, especially here in Maine,” Miller added. “We are lucky to have those resources at the ready.”

This is the approximate location of the rescue:

Photos: Good Samaritans aboard two boats (at right) helped three people aboard the vessel Variant (center) off the Maine coast June 7, 2017. A Coast Guard crew is at left. (Credit: Mike Miller/Coast Guard)