When Bruce McIntyre took his dog Steamer for a walk in Jamestown, RI on Saturday, he had no idea what he was about to find.
“I was walking around Beavertail with the dog, just sort of snapping pictures of the big waves,” he said.
Meanwhile, the fishing vessel Dream Catcher was on course from Atlantic City to Newport. But just after it sailed into Narragansett Bay, the big waves proved too much for the fishing boat. domain address It was off course and had run out of fuel when it got into trouble.
“I saw this fishing vessel dangerously close to the rocks. It was just too close,” McIntyre said.
McIntryre and his dog watched as a Coast Guard vessel hurried to help the two men on board.
“You could see one fellow on the vessel. Then the whole situation changed and I saw an orange life preserver bobbing in the waves next to the boat, and I realized there was a person in the water as well,” he said.
So McIntryre and a good Samaritan climbed down in the rocks where they could hear the man yelling for help.
“Being mindful of the fact that if one of us goes in, then that wouldn’t be a great thing,” McIntyre said.
The waves were reaching 10 to 12 feet and crashing over the top of the boat. Both men were rescued just a few minutes before the waves smashed their boat into the rocks. They pulled the man from the water, and found he was in shock and suffering from hypothermia.
“He was a very lucky fellow,” McIntyre said.
The Coast Guard rescued the second fisherman. McIntyre credits the Coast Guard for forcing the two men on board the boat to put on life jackets just before one of them went overboard. But McIntrye and the other good Samaritan also put themselves in danger to pull the man to safety.
“Every day we’re on this planet is a gift. And when you’re aware of the gift, you appreciate what it is you have to do to keep it. That’s what I had to do at that moment,” McIntyre said.
Courtesy of www2.turnto10.com
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