NEWPORT A squall just west of Goat Island on Tuesday night could have ended in tragedy. But members of the boating community acted quickly.<\/p>\n
Newport Harbormaster Timothy Mills said the squall affected a larger swath of Newport waters, but was particularly intense near Goat Island, where sailboats were racing.<\/p>\n
People on harbor tours and fellow racers pitched in to help when boaters were in distress, said Brad Read, executive director of Sail Newport.<\/p>\n
\"It was a team effort by many, many in the Newport community who sprang into action,\" Read said. \"People just dropped what they were doing and saw that there was going to be a problem out there.\"<\/p>\n
Mills said a 22-foot Ensign was swamped in the squall and towed to Sail Newport by staff. \"They did a really great job,\" he said of the Sail Newport staff.<\/p>\n
An Alerion Express 28 \"was just raised [Thursday] morning. It completely sunk,\" Mills said. An S boat that had sunk had not been raised yet as of Thursday, and Mills said he was still waiting to hear of the salvage plan. <\/p>\n
The squall, a high-intensity wind that blows for a short period, was reported to have escalated from five to 60 knots in about 30 seconds, Mills said.<\/p>\n
No injuries were reported.<\/p>\n
The wind picked up so quickly that the sailors \"didnt have time to reduce their sail,\" Mills explained. \"Didnt have time to prepare.\"<\/p>\n
Read said he was proud of the Sail Newport staff on the water and their efforts to assist; he mentioned Ian Maccini, Peter Cronin and Becca Read his daughter.<\/p>\n
\"Its a tight-knit group,\" Mills said of the boating community. \"You go to another mariners aid, no matter what thats the golden rule.\"<\/p>\n
ldamon@newportri.com<\/a>. Follow Laura on Twitter @LauraDamonNDN<\/p>\n <\/p>\n See the article here: <\/p>\n Newport sailing community jumps into action after squall sinks boats in bay - The Providence Journal<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" NEWPORT A squall just west of Goat Island on Tuesday night could have ended in tragedy. But members of the boating community acted quickly. Continue reading