Bristol Fire and Rescue and Maine Marine Patrol rescued three people from a 23-foot pleasure boat when it ran aground on a ledge near John’s Island the afternoon of July 22.
Bristol Fire Chief Paul Leeman said the boat, owned by a Pemaquid Harbor man, became entangled at about 3:30 p.m. in “pot rope,” the rope that runs from buoys on the water’s surface to lobster traps.
By the time the boat managed to clear itself of the rope, the battery had died and the current carried the boat into the ledge, Leeman said.
Bristol Fire and Rescue, with assistance from a local lobsterman, helped everyone aboard onto a Maine Marine Patrol boat and took them into the boat landing at Colonial Pemaquid.
The boat wasn’t retrieved until 2 a.m., when the rising tide freed it from the rocks. Sea Tow brought it into shore. Leeman said the boat likely sustained significant damage as the engine and electronics were underwater for a prolonged period of time.
The U.S. Coast Guard also responded to the scene.