Endicott Student Helps Save Mother, Son Paddleboarders In Distress

GLOUCESTER, MA — An Endicott student interning with the Gloucester Harbormaster was credited with assisting in the sea rescue of a mother and her son off Gloucester's Coffin Beach on Tuesday.

Robert Genaway responded along with Deputy Harbormaster Chad Johnson in a Harbormaster boat early Tuesday afternoon when Gloucester public safety dispatchers received a 911 from a man who said his wife and son had drifted out of sight while on their paddleboards.

The man told dispatchers he could no longer see his wife and could only see his son's silhouette.

Gloucester police said Johnson and Genaway found the mother about three miles from shore and the son a mile-and-a-half from shore. Police said both were found within nine minutes of the call.

Both were escorted back to Coffin Beach where they declined medical treatment and were reunited with the husband and father.

"I'm grateful for the quick and skillful response from Deputy Harbormaster Johnson and our intern, who ensured that this alarming incident did not end in tragedy," said Harbormaster Thomas Ciarametaro. "I encourage all paddleboarders and others who intend to use watercraft off the coast, to be mindful of wind and tide conditions and to take other safety precautions."

Ciarametaro said the woman and her son were pushed out to sea by a combination of an ebb tide and approximately 30 mph offshore winds, which gave them no chance to get back to shore on their own.

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at Scott.Souza@Patch.com. Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)