The Coast Guard and several boaters transported 25 passengers from a sailing vessel that ran aground Tuesday afternoon in Somes Sound off Mount Desert Island.

A crew from the Coast Guard station in Southwest Harbor took the passengers from the American Eagle, a historic 79-foot schooner, to safety at a local boatyard after the vessel ran aground around 3:15 p.m. Coast Guard officials said the American Eagle was participating in the Windjammer Regatta.

Its crew of five remained on the boat, hoping to refloat it at high tide Tuesday night. No injuries, damage to the vessel or pollution were reported.

Somes Sound is a fjord that runs deep into Mount Desert Island, almost splitting the island in two. It is 175 feet at its deepest point.


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