Sailboat drama at the shore: A grounding, then a rescue

Their friendly sailing adventure was supposed to take them from Manchester-by-the-Sea, Mass., to Cape May.

They breezed through the Cape Cod Canal in Massachusetts and then passed by Block Island off Rhode Island while heading south for New Jersey waters on a 40-foot sailboat named “Scooch.”

Yet fellow boaters Gregory Cotraro and Norman LeBlanc landed in Ocean City instead of Cape May. Literally landed, that is.

Buffeted by high winds and choppy seas, the two sailors ran aground Saturday afternoon near the 22nd Street beach, setting off a scramble by Ocean City’s police, firefighters and lifeguards to rescue them from the stranded boat.

During an interview Thursday in which he recounted the sailboat’s mishap, Cotraro had nothing but praise for Ocean City’s first responders and the staff of Shore Medical Center in Somers Point while expressing his thanks for their professionalism and compassion. He also released a statement.

“Their professional response, coupled with their compassion, was overwhelming,” he said in the statement. “The citizenry of Ocean City should be confident in the protection that is afforded to them by the police, fire, ocean rescue and hospital caretakers.”

“Their dedication to the cause of helping others was obvious to all who observed their performance during our trying circumstances. I wish all who take on the responsibility of helping others to be safe and protected,” he added.

Cotraro, 77, was able to get off the grounded sailboat by himself and walked to shore in the shallow water. LeBlanc, 78, needed the assistance of rescuers and was taken to Shore Medical Center by ambulance for treatment. He apparently banged his head while the boat was being pounded by the waves.

“He got a welt over his left eye and a black eye. He hit something. His neck was sore,” Cotraro said of LeBlanc.

Cotraro also went to the hospital to be with his friend. Despite his injuries, LeBlanc appears to be all right now, Cotraro noted.

Fortunately, the sailboat also appears to be in good shape. The day after it ran aground, it was towed off the beach and taken to the neighboring Seaview Harbor Marina near Longport.

“The hull was perfect. There were no breaches,” Cotraro said.

LeBlanc is the captain and owner of the sailboat. Anything but novices at sea, LeBlanc and Cotraro are experienced boaters who sailed to Cuba together eight years ago.

Cotraro is a retired construction worker who lives in Beverly, Massachusetts. LeBlanc, who owns a marine surveying business, is from Salem, Massachusetts, but has been using the sailboat lately as his home, Cotraro said.

To Cotraro, LeBlanc’s high-end Hinckley sailboat was easily capable of making the trip from Massachusetts to Cape May.

“The boat, to me, was like a racehorse,” he said. “It was a capable boat. The seas were challenging, but the boat was handling it. It was a good trip.”

But when they were in New Jersey waters heading to Cape May, the sea conditions became rougher and they decided to divert to Atlantic City, Cotraro said. They never made it.

“The last night, it was a mixed sea. It was a boiling teapot – totally uncomfortable,” Cotraro recalled.

Cotraro colorfully described that at one point during the trip, the turbulent water had “my head spinning around like the Exorcist.” 

He said he was below deck while LeBlanc was on watch Saturday afternoon when “we felt the bump,” indicating that the boat had run aground.

“It was one of those things when you say to yourself, ‘Did that really happen?’” Cotraro said.

    Gregory Cotraro, left, and Norman LeBlanc are shown with the 40-foot sailboat, named "Scooch." (Photo courtesy of Gregory Cotraro)
  

Cotraro is unsure exactly what happened. He said the sailboat has a new engine, but there may have been some mechanical or fuel problem that caused them to run aground.

“The weather wasn’t the best. We intended to go to Cape May. Then we changed course to Atlantic City. The engine sputtered out. I don’t know if we sucked up some bad fuel,” he said.

Ocean City Police Chief Bill Campbell, though, said the boat ran out of gas and came ashore.

The Ocean City Firefighters Association described the rough waves and the rescue effort by firefighters, police and lifeguards.

“Upon arrival, a sailboat, approximately 40’ in length, was found to be disabled, in distress, with two souls aboard. The vessel was rapidly approaching the sandbar, and began getting impacted by surf broadside,” the association said in a Facebook post.

“A fast response and team effort led to a positive outcome for the individuals involved,” the post added.

Cotraro called the first responders “phenomenal” while praising them for their rescue efforts and the compassion they showed when the two men were at the hospital.

“If you’re going to run aground anywhere, run aground in Ocean City,” he said, laughing.

    The sailboat has since been towed off the beach and taken to the Seaview Harbor Marina near Longport.