Holden man dies in ocean after skiff capsizes

SOUTHWEST HARBOR – Two friends in their 20s set out in a 12-foot skiff shortly before midnight Saturday, headed toward a family sailboat moored 1,000 yards from shore.

The skiff capsized, and six hours later, a state police dive team recovered the body of a Holden man in water 13 feet deep.

Marc French, 27, was found near the dock at Dysart’s Great Harbor Marina at 6:14 a.m. Sunday.

French had been reported missing by friend Douglas Farrell, 26, of Brewer at 12:15 a.m.

The two had been heading toward the sailing vessel 2 Plus 2, owned by French’s father, William French.

The larger vessel was moored approximately 1,000 yards from the marina, according to investigators’ reports.

After the skiff carrying the men overturned, Farrell was able to swim to shore.

He reported the incident to nearby Cyclones Tavern employees, who called Southwest Harbor police.

“Neither man was wearing a life jacket,” Kenneth Stuart, civilian search and rescue specialist based in Southwest Harbor, said Sunday.

The U.S. Coast Guard in Southwest Harbor responded as did the Maine Marine Patrol, Maine State Police, Southwest Harbor police and fire departments, and the Southwest Harbor harbor master.

French’s hat, Farrell’s wallet and paddles were found in a debris field about 100 feet from shore, which is where the state police dive team began its search.

Great Harbor Marina, with its 150-berth floating concrete docks, is off Apple Lane.

A Marine Patrol investigator, Sgt. Marlowe Sonksen, said Sunday the department was looking for the accident’s cause, including whether alcohol or drugs were factors.

“It’s still being investigated,” he said.

Marc French’s body will be sent to the state medical examiner’s office in Augusta to determine the cause of death, Sonksen said.