Harpswell first responders now have two locally maintained boats at their disposal to conduct water rescues and other maritime activities, thanks to a new landing craft from an anonymous donor.
On Wednesday, July 10, the Cundy’s Harbor Volunteer Fire Department unveiled its new vessel, a 24-foot Packman workboat made by Washington-based Munson Boats. One local official estimated the craft’s retail value at between $200,000 and $300,000 fully equipped.
The boat will be used primarily to transport first responders to remote locations inaccessible by road and is capable of assisting in water rescue efforts if needed. It was gifted to the Cundy’s Harbor department by a donor who wishes to remain anonymous, officials said.
The Harpswell harbor master’s office already has its own 20-foot maritime skiff for such purposes, but the Cundy’s Harbor boat will open up more options and enable local emergency responders to perform multiple marine activities at once.
Volunteers are currently training on the boat and learning about its extensive capabilities, said Aaron Despres, vice president of the Cundy’s Harbor fire department.
One useful feature of the new boat is its drop-down bow door for easy loading and unloading directly from the shore, ideal for operations such as small emergency rescues and shoreline firefighting efforts. It could be used to transport equipment, such as a portable dry pump for firefighting, or injured people.
“The boat is intended to be operated in inshore waters,” Despres said. “It’s not a big boat, but it should work well for us.”
In its first week since the unveiling, the new boat already has been called upon twice to assist in water rescue efforts, town Harbor Master Paul Plummer said.
On the evening of Thursday, July 11, the Cundy’s Harbor boat responded to a call about a kayaker who had capsized in rough waters, but Orr’s Island residents Jill and Stuart Caldwell managed to rescue the kayaker with their powerboat before first responders had time to arrive, Plummer said.
The new boat was called upon again to assist with an incident on Wednesday, July 17, in which a boat carrying an adult and three children was blown into the ledges off Yarmouth Island in windy conditions after its motor died.
In that incident, the harbor master’s boat arrived first on the scene, but it was the Cundy’s Harbor boat that ended up towing the disabled 18-foot skiff back to shore, according to Cundy’s Harbor Fire Chief Benjamin Wallace Jr.
“The harbor master’s boat got there first, but it was just easier for our boat to tow (the disabled skiff) back to where they needed to go,” Wallace said.
The harbor master said local emergency response officials haven’t yet established a formal arrangement to coordinate maritime rescue efforts with the new vessel, but he said it will be “super helpful” to have a second boat that can undertake or assist in such activities.
“We’d like to imagine that we’re all going to respond to any type of watercraft emergency … and always keep everyone coming until we know that we’re 100% in the clear,” Plummer said. “Because what if the wind pushes me up onto the rocks? … You never know what’s going to happen.”
The Cundy’s Harbor landing craft, with its 250-horsepower outboard motor, is capable of traveling as far out as Halfway Rock Light Station and could potentially assist with rescue efforts “anywhere in Casco Bay,” Plummer said.
Harpswell water rescue personnel participate in a group chat with the local U.S. Coast Guard command center and are sometimes asked to assist with maritime emergencies outside Harpswell waters, he said. Now, the town can be even more helpful in such cases.
“The fact that we have another municipal emergency response vessel in town I think is a great asset,” Plummer said.
Despres, the Cundy’s Harbor vice president, said water rescues aren’t as difficult in the summer because there are usually plenty of private vessels nearby to assist.
“But when it’s December and the middle of the night, it’s a totally different story, and those are the kind of things that keep us up at night,” he said.
Despres recalled a recent incident in which another kayaker capsized in the middle of winter. He managed to get to shore but was stranded on one of the islands temporarily before emergency responders were able to arrive.
“We couldn’t get to him for close to an hour, because we didn’t have a boat,” he said. “By the time we got to him, he was pretty cold.”
