Date – March 2006

Crew of Sinking 65′ Sportsfisherman saved by Revere raft two miles from shore.

William Koeppel & his family were cruising from Nantucket toward Essex CT. Suddenly the boat struck an underwater object which caused it to sink in less than 10 minutes. “My wife quickly grabbed our two young children, put on their life jackets, and got them up on the bridge.

I sent off a mayday, started my EPIRB, and grabbed my Revere life raft from the storage cabinet,” says Mr. Koeppel.  “I radioed that we had abandoned ship, jumped into the life raft with my family, and cut the painterline. A fishing boat picked us up and took us to Cuttyhunk, where we spent the night shaken and wet, but safe thanks to our emergency equipment, and our Revere life raft.