Coast Guard searching for Deer Isle fisherman

BOSTON – The Coast Guard searched Wednesday night for a Maine fisherman missing after the 50-foot scallop boat he was aboard sank off the Massachusetts coast.

Two of the boat’s three crew members, Andrew Joseph of Easton and Sean Balestraci, were rescued from a life raft after they were spotted by another fishing vessel Wednesday morning about 63 nautical miles east of Nantucket.

Edward Smith of Deer Isle, Maine, the vessel’s master, has not been seen since the sinking, said Coast Guard spokeswoman Kelly Newlin.

The Northern Wind left Hyannis late Sunday night and had been expected back Monday night. It was last seen Monday afternoon by another fishing vessel 35 nautical miles southeast of Nantucket.

“We’re not exactly sure how the boat sank or started to sink,” Newlin said.

Investigators aren’t sure how long the men had been in the raft, Newlin said. They were found conscious and coherent but were dehydrated and exhausted, she said.

They were airlifted to Cape Cod Hospital, where they were listed as stable Wednesday night.