Photo: GoFundMe
What began as a weekend boat trip ended in tragedy for a Massachusetts family this week. A woman passed away after she and two other family members were forced to abandon their boat after it caught fire last Monday night, then became stranded on an island off Martha’s Vineyard.
On Friday, Cici Sullivan, 73, Patrick Sullivan, 72, and their son Tyler Sullivan, 37, set out from Eel Pond near Falmouth, Massachusetts aboard a 30-foot Chris-Craft called Third Wave, as WCVB reports. They were initially expected to return Tuesday afternoon.
However, on Monday night, they awoke to find their vessel on fire, forcing them to abandon the burning boat and swim to nearby Naushon Island, where they took shelter in a farmhouse.
When they did not return Tuesday evening, a concerned family member reported them missing to the Coast Guard. The ensuing search was unable to find the boat or any of the passengers on the coastline, even after local police were called in to lend aid.
Then, Wednesday morning, the family found their marine radio washed ashore and were able to transmit a mayday call to the Coast Guard.
“Quick thinking and having quality equipment allowed the family to survive and call for help,” Scott Backholm, a search and rescue mission coordinator from Coast Guard Sector Southeastern New England, told WCVB.
Two of the family members, were treated at Cape Cod Hospital, while the third was flown to the burn unit at a Boston hospital. According to a GoFundMe, Cici Sullivan tragically passed away from her injuries on the afternoon of October 23.
“My brother saved both of them,” wrote Chris Sullivan on Facebook “he was able to get them off the boat under extremely chaotic circumstances, he doesn’t want to be called a hero, but he is.”
