A 36-year-old man from Medford, Massachusetts, is being treated for severe hypothermia after being rescued while clinging to his capsized boat for more than 13 hours in the near-freezing waters off of Yarmouth, Massachusetts, according to officials.
According to Yarmouth fire and rescue officials, the search effort started when police received a call from the Arthur Moscufo's girlfriend around 10 pm Monday night where she informed officers her boyfriend had not come home after venturing on the Bass River to test drive his new 14-foot aluminum boat.
Police searched the Yarmouth boat access parking areas as well as the area along various beaches and the Bass River, while the Coast Guard was called in and responded with a 42-foot rigid hull boat and helicopter.
About two and a half miles from the Bass River in Nantucket Sound, the helicopter's crew spotted an overturned boat and a man, who was wearing a life-jacket, shirt, jeans and sneakers waving to them around 4:20 am on Tuesday. The water was 37 degrees when the Coast Guard crew rescued him, according to officials.
The Coast Guard retrieved the severely hypothermic Moscufo and took him back to the Bass River boat ramp, where he was then transported to Cape Cod Hospital.
"I owe them a debt I can never repay," said Moscufo. "It was really unbelievable."
Dennis and Harwich fire boats assisted in the recovery as well.
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Moscufo told Yarmouth officers his boat took on water after a problem with the plug and sank very quickly around 3:30 pm
He clung to the overturned boat until rescuers found him around 4:20 am
"I cannot stress enough the importance of checking the water temperature before going on the water in the winter months," Coast Guard's Operations Specialist Second Class Michelle Crocker said.
The Moscufo was listed in good condition in the intensive care unit and will be released tomorrow.
"I feel really good," he said. "I feel really lucky."
