Man rescued after slipping into harbor

ROCKLAND – A 73-year-old Camden man slipped on an icy pier Thursday afternoon at Lermond Cove Marina and fell into the frigid water.

A retired chief petty officer, Gary Beam of Warren, was heading into the U.S. Coast Guard exchange store behind the Bird Block about 2:30 p.m. when he heard screams for help and noticed the man clinging to a bow line on his sailboat, which was tied to the dock, Petty Officer Jeremy Gourde of Station Rockland said.

Max Sholz had been at the pier with two friends, Gourde said. After they left, Sholz slipped on some ice and fell into the water near Lermond Cove Marina, just behind the Coast Guard station.

When Beam realized what had happened, he alerted station personnel and several crewmen ran to the scene.

Coast Guard Fireman Ian Emmott, 21, of Boston said Sholz was hanging onto a line that was attached to the bow of his sailboat. “I got on my knees and grabbed him by his belt,” Emmott said.

Sholz was in the water for about 10 minutes.

Seaman Jon Larson was right behind Beam with a life preserver, and Seaman Jason Beam had blankets. Rockland Emergency Medical Service personnel were called to bring Sholz to the hospital.

Following his rescue, Sholz was taken to Penobscot Bay Medical Center in Rockport. Sholz was being treated for hypothermia in the emergency room, a nursing supervisor said late Thursday afternoon, and a decision had not yet been made whether to admit him.

The water temperature at the time of the accident was 36 degrees Fahrenheit, while the air temperature was 23.