3 Found Unresponsive Near Overturned Fishing Boat Off Coast of Cape Ann

Three people were found unresponsive Thursday afternoon near a fishing boat that overturned off the coast of Cape Ann.

The U.S. Coast Guard, which has been searching for four missing boaters who left southern New Hampshire earlier in the day, said in a tweet that the three people had been found.

Update: USCG boat crews have recovered 3 unresponsive persons after searching in the vicinity of the overturned vessel. Search is ongoing for 1 missing person.

— USCGNortheast (@USCGNortheast) April 20, 2023

The boaters left from Hampton Wednesday morning in a 17-foot boat. They were headed for the fishing grounds near Jeffreys Ledge, which is about 50 miles from shore.

Locals say the waters can be dangerous for a small boat and that conditions over the last few days were choppy.

Update: An overturned vessel has been located by CG aircraft approximately 7 miles northeast of Cape Ann. No persons in the water were observed. Search continues for four people.

— USCGNortheast (@USCGNortheast) April 20, 2023

"It was worse yesterday, it was better today, but I mean even on this big boat we were getting thrown around yesterday," Amber Sunday, a deck hand, told NBC10 Boston.

"It is not the type of the ocean you should be in a small boat right now, it hasn't been very comfortable the last two days," said Randy Campolini, a lobsterman who comes out of Hampton.

Local fishermen in Hampton say the ocean has been rough the past few days, and that they were surprised to see the 17-footer head out Wednesday morning.

"It just looked like they were just getting ready, putting some rods on the boat. We were leaving the harbor on our charter and just saw them on the dock," recalled Rick LaPierre, a charter boat captain. "Even an experienced angler -- I've been on the ocean for 45 years, and there's nothing I could do in a small boat like that."

"The reality is it's very dangerous to be out there in April in a small boat, because you don't have the life rafts, you don't have survival suits," said Phil Eastman, owner of Eastman's Fishing Fleet. "You can't survive in that temperature … Very, very sad, because great people are going out to catch fish, and they're having a great time, but they don't realize the dangers this time of year."

U.S Coast Guard

The Coast Guard has a helicopter, airplane, two cutters and three Coast Guard stations involved in the search.

Anyone with information that could help with the search is asked to call Sector Northern New England at (207) 767-0303.

More details were not immediately available. Check back for updates.

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