A Canadian man was found dead on the shore of Isle au Haut after the sailboat he was aboard ran aground early Monday, officials said.
On Monday morning, the Maine Marine Patrol recovered the body of Thomas Kent Smith, 72, of Nova Scotia, who was sailing off the Maine coast with Robert and Sandra Comeau of New Hampshire, according to a Maine Department of Marine Resources news release Monday afternoon.
The Comeaus called 911 around 3 a.m. to report that they were stranded on the south side of the island, according to the release, and that their 40-foot sailboat was breaking apart on the rocks.
The couple told officials that they found Smith’s body in the water after the wreck and pulled him to shore, where the Marine Patrol recovered his body around 5 a.m.
All three had been in the water for more than an hour, the Comeaus told authorities, and they were wearing life jackets.
Smith’s body was transported to Stonington, and an autopsy will be performed by the chief medical examiner’s office at a funeral home in Ellsworth.
The Comeaus were also taken to Stonington, where they were examined by medical personnel and subsequently released.
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