A collision between a commercial fishing boat and a chartered schooner left one sailboat passenger with minor injuries and a minor diesel fuel spill off Kennebunkport, Maine, according to local emergency responders.
The crew of the 55’x12’ Schooner Eleanor issued a mayday call June 19 at 4:44 p.m. at the “G buoy” one mile from the jetty and Kennebunk River, according to a press release from Kennebunk Fire Chief Justin Cooper.
The Eleanor had been struck by the The Flying Dutchman, inflicting significant hull damage and leading to the schooner taking on water, according to the statement. Chief Cooper was in the area on his own charter fishing boat F/V Off Duty and responded to the scene along with another charter boat F/V Northeast.
The schooner crew quickly placed their passengers in life jackets, and the injured woman and her husband transferred to the F/V Off Duty, and taken to Government Wharf in Kennebunkport. The woman was taken to the MaineHealth Biddeford campus, where she was treated for minor injuries and released, television station WMTW 8 reported.
The Eleanor’s crew was able to mitigate the damage and stop the vessel from taking on more water. Making way under its own power the Eleanor returned to the Kennebunk River escorted by the charter fishing boats.
An oil sheen near Government Wharf and Gooch’s Beach was identified as diesel fuel, and fire officials advised against swimming for 24 to 48 hours, as the Coast Guard and state Department of Environmental Protection responded to the potential spill. By mid-morning June 20 fire officials advised that while oil had apparently dissipated, swimmers might still encounter traces.
