Skipper arrested, crewman saved after boat sinks

SOUTHWEST HARBOR – The skipper of a 40-foot scallop dragger that sank in Frenchman Bay failed drug and alcohol tests after he and a crewman were plucked from the icy waters of the North Atlantic, officials said Tuesday.

Skipper Malcolm Dow and crew member Tom Trip, both of Trenton, managed to get into their survival suits and climb into a life raft as the Luke & Jodi, out of Jonesport, went down late Monday, the Coast Guard said.

The skipper, whose blood-alcohol content of 0.20 percent was more than twice the legal limit for operating a vehicle in Maine, was charged under state law with operating under the influence, said Tom Reardon of the Maine Marine Patrol.

In Maine, the legal limit is 0.08 percent. The federal limit for commercial fishermen operating a boat is more stringent, 0.04 percent.

A Coast Guard spokeswoman, Petty Officer Etta Smith, said the cause of the sinking remains under investigation. The weather was relatively calm, and “we don’t really have any clues as to what exactly transpired,” she said.

The boat’s owner, Aaron Smith, said the wooden boat was returning to Jonesport when it crashed into something in the water.

“They hit something, which obviously busted a plank,” Smith said. “They barely had time to get into the survival suits and the raft.”

The Coast Guard launched an air and sea search after an automated radio beacon signaled that the fishing boat was in distress. Initially, there was confusion because Smith told the Coast Guard he thought the boat was moored.

After checking on his computer, Smith quickly realized the vessel was still at sea and was in trouble, he said.

Dow and Trip were rescued near Egg Rock at 11:30 p.m. and transported to the Coast Guard station in Southwest Harbor.

The Maine Marine Patrol responded after the Coast Guard alerted the state agency of suspicions that alcohol was involved. Dow was taken to the Bar Harbor Police Department where the tests were performed.

Dow showed signs of alcohol impairment including slurred speech. “It was more than apparent,” Reardon said.

Dow was charged on the basis of the blood-alcohol test results, Reardon said. He also tested positive for the active ingredient in marijuana, but additional tests will be required, the officer said.