Marriage vows were exchanged Saturday near Monhegan Island as rescue personnel continued efforts just offshore to locate a wedding guest who was swept out to sea by high surf on Friday.
The wedding took place Saturday afternoon on Manana Island (just across the small harbor on Monhegan) and was followed by a reception, according to sources on Monhegan Island. At 8 p.m. on Saturday evening, the United States Coast Guard (USCG) announced it was suspending the search until such time that new information developed.
An Associated Press report identified the missing man as Thomas Clarke, a 33-year-old Irish national. The information was confirmed through other sources.
The drama began Friday afternoon when a group of five people attending the wedding were exploring the rocky shoreline and coastal caves on the eastern side of Monhegan Island. A large wave, driven by Hurricane Katia some miles offshore, swept a 32-year-old man off the coastline and into the sea, according to the USCG.
The four individuals waded and swam into the ocean in a desperate attempt to rescue the man, but found themselves in danger and took shelter on Gull Rock about 300 yards offshore, according to the USCG
Rescuers were summoned, and members of the Monhegan Island Volunteer Fire Dept. were first on scene. They formed a line from the shore to Gull Rock and worked to keep the stranded persons calm, as well as passing supplies such as water hand to hand out to Gull Rock, according to Jessica Stevens of the Monhegan Island Volunteer Fire Dept.
Meanwhile, additional rescuers were either en-route or already on scene. These included the excursion vessel Balmy Days, the ferry boat Elizabeth Ann, the fishing vessel Seldom Seen, a dory, and a kayak, according to multiple sources. These vessels were later joined by a vessel from the Maine Marine Patrol, a 47-foot Motor Life Boat from Coast Guard Station Boothbay Harbor, an MH 60 Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod, and the 87-foot Cutter Hammerhead, which had been operating in the Portsmouth area, according to the USCG.
When the tide was low enough to allow for safe passage, three of the individuals stranded on Gull Rock, all male, were able to wade back to shore with assistance of firefighters. The fourth person on Gull Rock, a female, was airlifted by the Jayhawk helicopter. There were no reports of injury to any of the four people stranded on Gull Rock, according to multiple sources.
Coast Guard and other vessels, as well as the helicopter, searched throughout the night, covering 170 square miles, but were unable to locate the missing man.
The search continued throughout the day on Saturday, until the suspension order was issued at 8 p.m.
More information will be posted on The Lincoln County News website as it becomes available.
