Lost at sea

Maine mourns and adds three more to the gravestones lining the coast that read, “Lost at sea.”

Those three young mussel fishermen who went down when their trawler foundered off Jonesport were living a life that is independent, invigorating, usually rewarding and always dangerous. They lost to an ocean that is often beautiful but sometimes deadly.

The bodies of the three men – Capt. Dwayne A. Smith, 21, and Dawson E. Allen, 22, both of Jonesport, and Michael A. Laytart, 39, of Addison – were found near where the 35-foot boat had swamped in a driving storm with 12-foot waves. They apparently had no time to put on their life jackets or survival suits.

Snow and sleet kept another fishing vessel, hearing a radio distress signal, from finding The Little Raspy. By the time a search-and-rescue boat from the Jonesport Coast Guard station had made the nearly three miles to the area, only the trawler’s bow was visible and its stern was under water.

These latest deaths make 2000 the worst in seven years for New England. Eleven fishermen have died, 10 of them in sinkings. Eight of those deaths were in Maine.

The Coast Guard’s Ted Harrington is still shaken by the Jonesport tragedy. For 10 years, he has been the commercial fishing vessel safety coordinator for the first district, in Boston. Mr. Harrington certainly places no blame on the dead fishermen, who had done their best to survive. The Coast Guard is investigating the circumstances and eventually will issue a report. He acknowledges that fishermen cannot be expected to wear their bulky survival suits and life jackets at all times when working on the water But he welcomes the chance to restate some old advice on safety at sea:

. Have the necessary equipment on board.

. Be sure it’s functioning.

. Be sure the captain and the crew know how to use it. “That means drills, drills, drills. It can save you 60 to 100 seconds.”

“People don’t recognize extreme danger till it’s too late,” he says. “If you have to think when you’re in that situation, you’re in trouble. And if you think you’re in trouble, call and we’ll come.”