The Coast Guard says a boater who was rescued near Crow Island in Down East Maine survived in dangerously cold water because he was properly prepared.

The Coast Guard Sector Northern New England received a notification at 5:42 a.m. Saturday that a 34-foot pleasure craft was rapidly taking on water close to Crow Island, which is near Winter Harbor. The Coast Guard launched Station Southwest Harbor’s 47-foot life boat, a helicopter from Air Station Cape Cod and notified the Maine Marine Patrol, according to the Coast Guard.

The boater in distress donned a life jacket, contacted the Coast Guard on VHF channel 16, and activated the vessel’s emergency position-indicating radio beacon. Those steps allowed the Coast Guard to find the vessel’s exact position and increased his prospects for rescue and survival in dangerously cold water, according to the Coast Guard.

“This was a great response by not only a responsive and well-trained Coast Guard boat crew, but a prepared mariner,” said Cmdr. James McLay, the search and rescue mission coordinator. “The proactive safety measures he took both before and during today’s incident ensured a safe and expeditious rescue, kept him out of the water and allowed us to apply critical damage control efforts which prevented his vessel from sinking.”

After arriving on scene, the Coast Guard’s motor life boat crew began dewatering efforts, which allowed the vessel to be towed safely back to Stonington, according to the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard did not identify the boater or say where he was from.

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