CT Men Honored For Rescuing Group On Sinking Ship In June

NEW HAVEN, CT — Five Connecticut men rescued a group of elderly men from a sinking boat off the coast of Connecticut in late June – and on Wednesday, their efforts were honored by State Sen. Christine Cohen (D-Guilford) and the United States Coast Guard.

The five rescued men, ranging in age from 72 to 80, were fishing on June 21 near Six-Mile Reef, six miles off the coast of Clinton, according to a news release from Cohen's office. At one point, the owner of their vessel noticed that water was coming out of its rear storage area, and that the whole area was flooded with water.

The vessel continued to take on water and the owner was unable to get its motor started, so he told the other men to put on lifejackets and sent out a distress signal.

That signal was received by Evan Kamoen, 18, who was out fishing with two friends.

Kamoen keeps his marine radio on and tuned to the international distress frequency channel, the news release said, and was able to find the boat.

"Upon arrival, he saw the boat was leaning, and soon after, it flipped over. The five men were in the water, two of them clinging to the boat, two floating nearby, and one who was trapped beneath the boat, but who was eventually able to get out from under it," the news release said. "Three of the five men in the water were unable to swim making this an even more dire situation."

Kamoen took four of the five men out of the water and onto his boat, the news release said. Though the boat didn't have enough room for the fifth man, Kamoen and his friends waited until Jeffrey and Jason Nosal, who also received the distress call, arrived on the scene to rescue him.

Both boats made it back to shore safely and the five men suffered only minor injuries, the news release said.

Awards were given on Wednesday to Ryan Kelly of Stonington, Evan Kamoen of Killingworth, Luke Voegeli of Guilford, and Jeffrey and Jason Nosal of Middletown. The men received a United States Coast Guard "Certificate of Merit" for their search and rescue actions, as well as a General Assembly Citation recognizing their "careful preparedness, awareness, and quick thinking."

"Your quick-thinking, selfless actions really saved lives that day, and the State of Connecticut wants to recognize you for that," Sen. Cohen said at the ceremony. "We are so proud of you."