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Photo by Nicole Harnishfeger
The Coast Guard this morning suspended its search for a man reported missing from the 23-foot powerboat Katie B, which washed ashore on Nantucket Thursday. |
By Eliot Baker and Jason Graziadei
I&M Staff Writers
(March 20, 2010) After reviewing GPS data retrieved from the boat of the missing Nantucket man Johnathan Hemingway, police and Coast Guard officials believe some incident may have thrown him off the vessel about nine miles north of Nantucket.
Hemingway, who was reported missing Thursday just before noon, had kept the 23-foot powerboat Katie B going in a straight line toward Nantucket after leaving Hyannis Wednesday night until the vessel came within roughly nine miles of the island, Det. Lt. Jerry Adams said. At that point, the GPS data revealed the boat began operating erratically, and did a series of circles before running aground on Steps Beach early Thursday morning.
"Our conclusion is an incident took place nine miles off-shore of Nantucket and that's where we believe he went overboard," Adams said.
"We found a spot midway through the Sound where there was inconsistent operation of his boat," Coast Guard Station Brant Point senior chief T.J. Malvesti said. "He was following a straight line and then it became erratic about eight or nine miles off the beach, and the boat went into a series of circles until it landed on the beach. It looks like the engine got stuck to the right."
Hemingway's wife and two children slept through the crossing until the boat reached Nantucket, Adams said, but due to erroneous information provided to them and police Thursday morning from a friend of the family, the search did not begin until shortly before noon.
"We got misinformation on the front-end of the investigation," Adams said. "We don't believe he made it to land, and that's supported by the navigation information."
Adams declined to reveal who had provided the erroneous information to police.
The Coast Guard suspended its search for Hemingway on Friday, but Malvesti said Coast Guard vessels are still keeping an eye out and he has asked pilots and ferry captains to report any possible sightings of Hemingway.
"Based on body weight and the time that's transpired, there's a slim chance of survival at this point," Malvesti said. Hemingway was not wearing a life jacket when he was last seen Wednesday night.
Coast Guard First District Petty Officer Lauren Jorgensen said John Hemingway's wife and two children last saw him about 9:15 p.m. Wednesday when they went below deck to sleep after leaving Hyannis for Nantucket. When they awoke Thursday morning around 3 a.m., the boat had run aground on Nantucket and Hemingway was missing.
Hemingway and his wife are the owners of the Hemingwayscapes landscaping company on Nantucket.
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Photo by Nicole Harnishfeger
A Nantucket police officer keeps watch over the Katie B, which washed ashore on Steps Beach early Thursday morning. |
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