Bar Harbor tour vessel assists disabled sailboat
Miss Samantha towed ALANI to a Bar Harbor mooring after the sailboat reported flooding with two people aboard.
Miss Samantha, a vessel in the Bar Harbor Whale Watch fleet used for nature trips and cruises, responded after the sailboat ALANI became disabled near Bar Harbor. The tour vessel towed ALANI to mooring ball No. 6 in the harbor.
Coast Guard Lt. J.P. Freeman said ALANI issued a distress call over VHF-FM Channel 16 at about 12:45 p.m. Friday after it began taking on water near the Bar Harbor mooring field. Two people were aboard the sailboat and managed to temporarily plug the leak, stopping the flooding, but the vessel remained disabled.
According to Freeman, a response crew from Coast Guard Station Southwest Harbor boarded ALANI and found no immediate concerns with the temporary repair. The sailboat’s owner then arranged for a local salvor to tow the vessel to Southwest Harbor for permanent repairs. No injuries were reported.