ST GEORGE, Maine — Several agencies and local lobstermen combined forces Sunday to rescue a boater who failed to return to shore in St. George.
St. George is a Knox County town in the middle of the Maine coast that includes the villages of Port Clyde and Tenants Harbor.
The man apparently went out in a small skiff to retrieve parts of a dock that washed away during recent storms, the Maine Department of Marine Resources said Monday in a release. However, he was reported missing by family shortly before 5 p.m. after he did not arrive by an anticipated time.
Local lobstermen heard Maine Marine Patrol and United States Coast Guard chatter on their radios and decided to stay in the area until they knew whether their assistance could be needed, according to a social media post by St. George Fire and Rescue.
A nearby resident notified St. George Fire and Rescue of what sounded like someone yelling from the direction of Northern Island, the release stated. The resident helped first responders find the man, who was conscious but unable to move, on the shore of Northern Island at approximately 5 p.m., officials said.
Lobstermen helped shuttle first responders to and from shore, with the final crews returning around 8 p.m.
"This would not have been accomplished without the help from each and every person who was involved tonight," St. George Fire and Rescue said. "We want to extend our deepest gratitude to all of you for showing up and putting in the work, like you always do."
The man who was rescued asked officials not to publicly identify him, the Maine Department of Marine Resources said. He was removed from the island by a small Maine Marine Patrol boat, brought to a waiting U.S. Coast Guard vessel, then taken to shore in Tenants Harbor, where an ambulance provided transportation to a local hospital.
"While tonight’s outcome feels like a victory, we do not know at this time what the future holds for our patient," St. George Fire and Rescue said. "Please keep him and his family in your thoughts on his road to recovery."