These were cut/pasted from Newsday.com. Big lessons in here for all of us. Marty was a popular guy, very capable and respected. First is the article, second is his 16 year old son's verbal account:
Westbury man drowns in Block Island Sound accident BY BILL BLEYER | bill.bleyer@newsday.com
9:26 PM EST, December 1, 2008
When the anchor line of Marty McMillan's fishing boat snagged a rope holding a lobster pot in place Sunday morning in Block Island Sound, he decided not to cut the trap free and deprive a commercial fishermen of his property, his son said.
The decision proved fatal.
In the subsequent maneuvering, McMillan, 51, of Westbury, became entangled in rope piled on the deck, went over the side and drowned.
"It happened so quick," said McMillan's son Cody, 16. "But I guess the line wrapped around his leg and he got pulled over."
McMillan, founder and president of Intelli-Tec Security Services, was pronounced dead at Southampton Hospital, said East Hampton Town Police Det. Sgt. Christopher Anderson.
At least initially, Sunday had unfolded as many other days on the water for the McMillans. Father and son had been boating together for more than eight years. They were aboard their 30-foot aluminum boat, Xiao Mu Ji. the nickname of McMillan's wife, Nancy, who is Chinese.
On Sunday, their first spot didn't pan out, so they shifted to Southwestern Ledge, 11 miles southeast of Montauk. "We anchored up there," Cody said, but the boat wasn't in the right spot. "So my dad wanted to pull up anchor and move forward a little."
But the anchor wouldn't cooperate. Even though they were at least 100 feet from the buoy attached to the lobster trap, Cody said, "We must've thrown the anchor over the lobster pot line and that's how he got tangled."
Cody said he, his father and two friends pulled on the line for 20 minutes and "finally got the anchor in my dad's hands. At that point, the boat was still drifting, so it got pulled out of his hands. We didn't want to cut it because it's a guy's livelihood."
So McMillan told his son to maneuver the boat forward, back and in a circle, trying to untangle the line until he went into the water about 9:30 a.m.
"I saw him trying to untie his leg," Cody said. "He was holding onto the gunwale on the side of the boat, but he couldn't do it fast enough so he went over. We had two other guys on the boat and I told them to get ready to grab him. They missed him, so I made another quick circle and I had him underneath my arms, but because the boat was drifting and he was still attached to the line he got pulled out of my arms."
They circled again, this time with a long-handled hook at the ready. No good. Cody's friends fired off flares while he called the Coast Guard.
A nearby charter boat, Vivienne, owned by Capt. John DeMaio, soon sped to the scene.
They helped recover Marty McMillan, who had been submerged for more than 20 minutes.
"He was wrapped up with the float from the anchor," DeMaio, "and he had a rope around his ankle, just one turn."
Son's Verbal Account of the Accident:
Cody McMillan, 16, gave Newsday this account of his unsuccessful effort to save his father when his leg was caught in the anchor line and he was pulled overboard in Block Island Sound Sunday morning:
"We went fishing to a place called Apple Tree; it's 17 miles from the point. We couldn't find a good bottom so we went back to where blackfish were the day before, five miles back, called Southwestern Ledge. We anchored up there but the boat wasn't in the right spot.
"So my dad wanted to pull up anchor and move forward a little. So we went to pull up the anchor and usually the anchor ball pops up but it didn't, which meant we were snagged on something. So we pulled in line little by little for about 20 minutes and we finally got up to the chain and finally got the anchor in my dad's hands."
"We thought there was a lobster pot line caught on it. At that point the boat was still drifting so it got pulled out of his hands. We didn't want to cut it because it's a guy's livelihood. So we let some line back out and he had me go to the controls and he said 'Go in reverse,' so I went in reverse to get some line back and he said 'Go forward and make a circle,' so I went forward to make a circle. And my dad was standing on top of the line that we had already brought in so as I went forward the line started going out.
"It happened so quick but I guess the line wrapped around his leg and he got pulled over. I put the boat in neutral and I saw him trying to untie his leg. He was holding onto the gunwale on the side of the boat but he couldn't do it fast enough so he went over.
"We saw him floating by the orange anchor ball. He didn't say anything. I assume that's because he knew that I knew what to do. We had two other guys on the boat and I told them to get ready to grab him. They missed him so I made another quick circle and I had him underneath my arms but because the boat was drifting and he was still attached to the line he got pulled out of my arms and he was under and unconscious at that time. I circled around again and had the guys get a gaff and they got his coat, which was on him, and went to pull him in and it got pulled off of him.
"The whole time I was on the radio with the Coast Guard and the other two guys were shooting off flares.
"I started backing up real fast because I knew he was underwater and unconscious. The other two guys didn't know to tell me where the line was because they were just freaking out like I was. I got halfway to where I thought the buoy was and wrapped the prop.
"We finally got the other boats to come over. We got them to realize the rope was straight out our back and they had a gaff and pulled up and cut the anchor line underneath my dad's foot and pulled him in.
"Myself and the other guys were drifting on the boat so I try to get the rope out of the prop. I got two wraps off but couldn't get the rest. So we waited for the Coast Guard and they towed the boat in and brought us back in a different boat."
Westbury man drowns in Block Island Sound accident BY BILL BLEYER | bill.bleyer@newsday.com
9:26 PM EST, December 1, 2008
When the anchor line of Marty McMillan's fishing boat snagged a rope holding a lobster pot in place Sunday morning in Block Island Sound, he decided not to cut the trap free and deprive a commercial fishermen of his property, his son said.
The decision proved fatal.
In the subsequent maneuvering, McMillan, 51, of Westbury, became entangled in rope piled on the deck, went over the side and drowned.
"It happened so quick," said McMillan's son Cody, 16. "But I guess the line wrapped around his leg and he got pulled over."
McMillan, founder and president of Intelli-Tec Security Services, was pronounced dead at Southampton Hospital, said East Hampton Town Police Det. Sgt. Christopher Anderson.
At least initially, Sunday had unfolded as many other days on the water for the McMillans. Father and son had been boating together for more than eight years. They were aboard their 30-foot aluminum boat, Xiao Mu Ji. the nickname of McMillan's wife, Nancy, who is Chinese.
On Sunday, their first spot didn't pan out, so they shifted to Southwestern Ledge, 11 miles southeast of Montauk. "We anchored up there," Cody said, but the boat wasn't in the right spot. "So my dad wanted to pull up anchor and move forward a little."
But the anchor wouldn't cooperate. Even though they were at least 100 feet from the buoy attached to the lobster trap, Cody said, "We must've thrown the anchor over the lobster pot line and that's how he got tangled."
Cody said he, his father and two friends pulled on the line for 20 minutes and "finally got the anchor in my dad's hands. At that point, the boat was still drifting, so it got pulled out of his hands. We didn't want to cut it because it's a guy's livelihood."
So McMillan told his son to maneuver the boat forward, back and in a circle, trying to untangle the line until he went into the water about 9:30 a.m.
"I saw him trying to untie his leg," Cody said. "He was holding onto the gunwale on the side of the boat, but he couldn't do it fast enough so he went over. We had two other guys on the boat and I told them to get ready to grab him. They missed him, so I made another quick circle and I had him underneath my arms, but because the boat was drifting and he was still attached to the line he got pulled out of my arms."
They circled again, this time with a long-handled hook at the ready. No good. Cody's friends fired off flares while he called the Coast Guard.
A nearby charter boat, Vivienne, owned by Capt. John DeMaio, soon sped to the scene.
They helped recover Marty McMillan, who had been submerged for more than 20 minutes.
"He was wrapped up with the float from the anchor," DeMaio, "and he had a rope around his ankle, just one turn."
Son's Verbal Account of the Accident:
Cody McMillan, 16, gave Newsday this account of his unsuccessful effort to save his father when his leg was caught in the anchor line and he was pulled overboard in Block Island Sound Sunday morning:
"We went fishing to a place called Apple Tree; it's 17 miles from the point. We couldn't find a good bottom so we went back to where blackfish were the day before, five miles back, called Southwestern Ledge. We anchored up there but the boat wasn't in the right spot.
"So my dad wanted to pull up anchor and move forward a little. So we went to pull up the anchor and usually the anchor ball pops up but it didn't, which meant we were snagged on something. So we pulled in line little by little for about 20 minutes and we finally got up to the chain and finally got the anchor in my dad's hands."
"We thought there was a lobster pot line caught on it. At that point the boat was still drifting so it got pulled out of his hands. We didn't want to cut it because it's a guy's livelihood. So we let some line back out and he had me go to the controls and he said 'Go in reverse,' so I went in reverse to get some line back and he said 'Go forward and make a circle,' so I went forward to make a circle. And my dad was standing on top of the line that we had already brought in so as I went forward the line started going out.
"It happened so quick but I guess the line wrapped around his leg and he got pulled over. I put the boat in neutral and I saw him trying to untie his leg. He was holding onto the gunwale on the side of the boat but he couldn't do it fast enough so he went over.
"We saw him floating by the orange anchor ball. He didn't say anything. I assume that's because he knew that I knew what to do. We had two other guys on the boat and I told them to get ready to grab him. They missed him so I made another quick circle and I had him underneath my arms but because the boat was drifting and he was still attached to the line he got pulled out of my arms and he was under and unconscious at that time. I circled around again and had the guys get a gaff and they got his coat, which was on him, and went to pull him in and it got pulled off of him.
"The whole time I was on the radio with the Coast Guard and the other two guys were shooting off flares.
"I started backing up real fast because I knew he was underwater and unconscious. The other two guys didn't know to tell me where the line was because they were just freaking out like I was. I got halfway to where I thought the buoy was and wrapped the prop.
"We finally got the other boats to come over. We got them to realize the rope was straight out our back and they had a gaff and pulled up and cut the anchor line underneath my dad's foot and pulled him in.
"Myself and the other guys were drifting on the boat so I try to get the rope out of the prop. I got two wraps off but couldn't get the rest. So we waited for the Coast Guard and they towed the boat in and brought us back in a different boat."