Two fishermen saved after dragger sinks

Two fishermen from Roque Bluffs were fortunate to survive when their scallop dragger sank in Cobscook Bay around noon on Tuesday, January 23. The 32-foot dragger Born Again went down after its drag caught on bottom between Razor and Red islands off the end of Seward's Neck, North Lubec. Owen Moody and his son Shaun were quickly rescued by other local fishermen and have since recovered following their close call. After a number of years without having any draggers sink while fishing in the area, the incident again places a focus on fishing safety measures that could help prevent possible tragedies.
According to Jesse Moody of Jonesboro, who owns the vessel, the Born Again was towing with the tide in an area where there was a lot of current. When the drag caught on bottom, water came in through the scuppers and the boat was filling up, so the two fishermen were letting out more of the wire cable that's attached to the drag. Moody says the boat went down when there was just one wrap of cable remaining on the drum, after which the boat would have been freed from the drag that was taking down the stern.
At the same time, Frank Miliano and crew members Pos Bassett and Richard Bassett Sr., all of Sipayik, were dragging near Birch Point aboard their vessel, the Alexis Shay. The Born Again was over toward Razor Island, and Miliano and his crew noticed that the stern of the boat was low in the water. As water started going over the stern, Miliano saw the deckhand waving to them. "They were taking on water fast," says Miliano, as he headed their dragger over. "We told them to jump onto our boat," but Miliano says they had taken on too much water and the stern went under.
Shaun Moody went into the water, but his father Owen was still in the cabin as the boat rolled over. "I don't know how that older man got out of that boat," says Miliano. "It was really scary."
Shaun Moody swam over to his father, and Miliano threw them a life ring, as he and his crew pulled them to their boat. "It took all we had, but we couldn't get them in," he relates, with the two men's Mustang flotation suits and boots filled with water, making them very heavy. Two other draggers came alongside, and the captain and crew member of the Wet Dreams, Dennis Moody II and Rick Guptill, jumped aboard the Alexis Shay to help bring the two men aboard. "They were a big help," says Miliano. Moody and Guptill live near Owen and Shaun Moody in Roque Bluffs. The other vessel that came alongside to assist was the Logan James, captained by Roger Preston with crew member Travis Preston of Roque Bluffs.
Miliano estimates that Owen and Shaun Moody were in the water for perhaps 12 minutes. The crew on the Alexis Shay had called 911 and the U.S. Coast Guard, and Miliano says the son was not responsive, suffering from hypothermia, with the water temperature being 39 degrees. The Maine Marine Patrol vessel Vigilant with Captain Andy Foss and Officer Brian Brodie arrived shortly, and then U.S. Coast Guard Station Eastport's 45-foot rescue vessel met them within 10 minutes, with Owen and Shaun Moody, Miliano and Richard Bassett transferring onto it. Miliano says the Coast Guard was there "in a flash," and the coastguardsmen quickly began treating the Moodys for hypothermia on the Coast Guard vessel. The Coast Guard reports that the station received the distress call at 11:54 a.m. and had picked up the men and was back at the Eastport breakwater by 12:33 p.m.
At that point, both fishermen were hypothermic but responsive, the Coast Guard reports. They were transported by Downeast EMS ambulance to the Calais Regional Hospital, where they were treated and later released. "I'm just glad that everyone's all right," says Miliano, who spoke later in the day with Shaun.
Of the sinking, Marine Patrol Sgt. Russell Wright of Lubec comments, "They were very fortunate that there were boats right there. Most of the boats had left by then. If they were by themselves, it could have been a different outcome." Wright notes that at least 35 to 40 draggers were in Cobscook Bay earlier in the morning, but most had caught their quota and come out of the bay by the time the sinking happened. Draggers had concentrated more into inner Cobscook Bay after the Department of Marine Resources closed the area off the Eastport breakwater and over to Johnson's Bay, Lubec, effective January 21.
Owner Jesse Moody, who is Owen's nephew, was searching the next day for evidence of the boat. Although no sign was seen on his boat's depth finder, debris was found by some boats and Shaun Moody's wallet was towed up by a dragger. Jesse Moody says he will continue searching in the coming days, as he hopes that the Born Again, after being baptized under the waters of Cobscook Bay, may be raised again. If anyone does find anything, they can contact him through Facebook.

Making the fishery safer
The sinking points out the dangers of dragging for scallops and urchins from small boats that are not actually designed for dragging. Also, the Coast Guard does not have any requirement that commercial fishing vessels under 79 feet in length have a stability inspection. According to Josh Smith, officer in charge of Station Eastport, the Coast Guard had boarded the vessel for a routine inspection about an hour and a half before the sinking.
While no other scallop and urchin boats have sunk while dragging during the past seven years in the Cobscook Bay area, eight draggers sank in a 20-year period before then. The most recent incident involved the Miss Priss, which sank near Falls Island after hitting a ledge in 2010. The year before, five sea urchin fishermen died in Cobscook Bay when two vessels, the Bottom Basher and the All American, sank. Previous to that, other scallop or urchin draggers have sunk in or near Cobscook Bay, possibly after their drags caught on bottom. The Matthew and Mark sank near Falls Island in 2002; the Scrappy-Doo sank near Goose Island in Cobscook Bay in 1999; the Four Sisters sank off Eastport in 1996; the Jodie Lynn went down off Denbow Point in 1994; and the Surf Tide sank off West Quoddy Head in 1990, with the loss of one life. In addition, other vessels have had close calls or sunk for other reasons in the Cobscook area.
Following the 2009 deaths, an effort was made to increase safety aboard the draggers, including having the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration do nautical survey work in Cobscook Bay to develop new charts identifying obstructions for draggers; encouraging fishermen to lower the towing block when dragging, in order to increase vessel stability; having them wear personal flotation vests or suits; and advocating for them to use a buddy system when fishing. While new charts have been produced, no regulations concerning other safety measures, though, have been enacted. In a Facebook post, Rep. Will Tuell of East Machias says he plans to talk with fishermen to see what changes can be made to make the fishery safer and then, after doing research, will introduce a bill in the legislature that will reflect the values of the fishing community.