A fisherman was rescued early Wednesday morning after being stranded in Long Island Sound for four hours when his boat capsized off Connecticut.
The Milford Fire Department said the man was south of Charles Island when a clamming vessel, the Joseph Julius, came across the man while they were setting out for the day around 7:30 a.m. The Joseph Julius crew found the man clinging to side of his overturned boat.
He had lost his phone when the boat flipped around 3 a.m. and hadn’t been able to call for help. It’s unclear how the boat capsized.
The Milford Fire Marine Division met the Joseph Julius on her way back to port and evaluated the man, determining he had mild hypothermia. No one else was aboard the boat when it capsized.
He was taken to a local hospital by ambulance.
“With the change of seasons brings decreasing water temperatures and the increase chances of severe water conditions, The Milford Fire Department reminds all boaters to use caution and to always be safe,” fire official said in a Facebook post about the incident. “The quick actions from the crew of the Joseph Julius truly helped to save this individuals life and we cannot thank all of them enough.”
“It was a crazy morning but glad he’s alright,” Joseph Julius Captain Mark Peckham commented on Facebook.
Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound is investigating the incident.
Three men died earlier this month after their boat crashed into a jetty near where the Connecticut River flows into Long Island Sound on Labor Day.
