Northport Commercial Fisherman's Boat Sinks; GoFundMe Made

NORTHPORT, NY — A commercial fisherman from Northport lost his boat after it sank on Feb. 3, losing what kept him in business.

Rick Voorhees, a fisherman for 42 years, never suffered such "devastation," his wife Allison Robitaille wrote on a GoFundMe.

"Without a boat and all of the equipment he lost in the sinking of it, he has a total loss and is out of business," Robitaille wrote. "Please help get him back in business. Anything helps and is very much appreciated! Thank you for supporting your local fisherman."

If you would like to donate to help Voorhees purchase a new boat, you may do so here.

More than $1,000 of the fundraiser's $10,000 has been reached as of Thursday afternoon.

Voorhees, 53, said a new motor for another boat he has will likely cost him between $25,000 and $30,000.

Voorhees said he lost two boats on Feb. 3 after his boat's motor failed and the vessel got wrapped up in the pilings. He was using a 12-foot whaler to tow his boat and get it moving again after its motor died. By the time he freed the vessel, it was full of water.

"I thought I was going to roll over right there," Voorhees told Patch. "I cut the boat loose, and I wound up bouncing off the steel wall, going into the dock, and then I got off the boat. I watched it get pounded for seven hours and watched my whole livelihood just get destroyed."

Voorhees said he didn't know his wife and daughter set up the GoFundMe on his behalf until after it was made. He plans to use the funds to buy a new motor and is hoping to be back on the water within a week.

"It's a disgrace, and I’m just trying to put it behind me and try and move forward," he said. "The quicker I’m on the water, the less I’ll think about this. As soon as I’m back on the water, I’ll feel better moving forward."

Voorhees said all the support he received after his boat sank cheered him up, however. Fellow fisherman, local police and the harbormaster all were very nice and supportive, he said.

"I would like them to know that all the help and all the responses that have come my way goes unforgotten," Voorhees said. "If there’s anything I can ever do for my community, they all know where I am. I’ll do anything for my community. That's the type of person I am. I'm always helping people, and I'm a little stubborn; I do things myself ... My message to them is to say thank you for all their help and all their support. It goes unforgotten."

Voorhees is the third generation of his family to go "on the water," saying he grew up in the harbor. He got his first boat when he was 8.

Voorhees sells the fish he catches to J&M Seafood, a wholesale distributor in East Northport.

"I use my local shops. I support my local town. We all do [in Northport]. We all try to keep our means right in Northport. There are not many commercial fishermen left in Northport."

Voorhees, when working, said he gets up at 3:30 a.m. 300 times a year. He packs himself lunch, fuels up his boat, and leaves an hour before sunrise. He drives his vessel an hour to his usual spot, works six or seven hours, and then goes home.