PORTLAND, Maine — A paraplegic skipper is being credited with actions that helped save the lives of all but one friend on his pleasure fishing boat as it took on water in rough seas off Maine.
The 24-foot boat, Job Site 2, swamped and rolled upside down Friday while anchored about 5 miles off Kennebunkport during a day of fishing for bluefin tuna.
The outcome could have been worse if skipper Nicholas Masi III, of Biddeford, hadn’t calmly told the three other men on board to don survival suits and issued a Mayday with precise coordinates, said Maine Marine Patrol Sgt. Rob Beal.
Moments after Masi radioed a distress call, the boat rolled over in 4- to 5-foot seas and 63-degree water, with few other boats nearby.
“If he hadn’t kept his head and radioed a distress call, it’s hard to say how long all four individuals would have been in the water,” Beal said. “You can only speculate from there.”
Douglas Isenberg, 47, of Biddeford, died at the scene. The Maine medical examiner’s office has not determined what caused his death. Daricus Hunter, who was on board, said he might have had a heart attack.
Masi has used a wheelchair since he was paralyzed four years ago in an accident while working as a house builder.
