State, Coast Guard Alert Boaters To 70-Foot Sunken Yacht: VIDEO

BRANFORD, CT — The 70-foot yacht that caught fire last week and sank in the Long Island Sound a few miles off of Branford Point is posing a safety problem, this time for mariners.

Eight were aboard the craft and were rescued by civilian boats and the U.S. Coast Guard.

The state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection’s Boating Division shared a warning for boaters this weekend to be on the lookout for the sunken vessel, which at low tide is protruding and visible. The craft is located 4.5 nautical miles south of Branford Point.

The U.S. Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound shared the coordinates in a Facebook post advising mariners to “keep a sharp lookout and proceed with caution” when in the area of (approximate) position 41°-10.262N 072°-48.72W

Last Thursday, firefighters from Branford and Guilford aboard fire boats worked for hours to extinguish the blaze that engulfed the yacht, as Patch reported.

USCG Lt. JG Sarah Dupre told Patch a mayday from the craft was received and a coast guard boat headed to the site.

Branford Fire Department Marine 2 from Branford River and Marine 5 from Stony Creek, with mutual aid from the Guilford Fire Department, worked to extinguish the blaze for several hours.

Dupre said that none of the people onboard were injured. She also said that the investigation into the cause of the fire will be left to state and local authorities as the craft sank in state waters.

Mahoney said the state Department of Energy and Environmental Protection responded to address environmental issues.

Branford fire chief Tom Mahoney told Patch that afternoon that, "despite our best efforts" the fire aboard the boat was "too well-involved, too dangerous ...too advanced and unsafe" for boarding. The vessel sank.

Patch has a request in for more information from Branford Harbormaster Vincenzo Suppa and this post will be updated should we hear back.