We heard the Coast Guard on our VHF scanner on the afternoon of Sept. 25: “Calling the vessel in distress, calling the vessel in distress.”

No response. We knew someone was in trouble. Within a very few minutes, the Coast Guard message was being specifically directed to the fishing vessel Jeanne C.

Was it Kelo Pinkham’s boat, out of Boothbay Harbor? A quick call to the dock confirmed that he was, indeed, out fishing, and we passed along what we had heard and others tried unsuccessfully to reach him via radio. A couple of boats headed out of the harbor to join in the search.

After almost an hour with no new information, we got word from the docks that the Coast Guard (Boothbay Harbor’s own life boat and crew) had spotted his life raft and that Pinkham and his lone crew member, his son, Morgan, had been found and were being brought back to shore.

As the afternoon went on, we learned that Kelo had lost his boat. It went down very fast after he brought a bag of fish aboard, and he had barely enough time to send out one mayday call before launching his life raft. His EPIRB  (an emergency beacon that is set off when it goes under water, identifying the vessel and its location) didn’t immediately activate. That meant someone had to go underwater to make sure it would do its job in directing the Coast Guard to them about 10 miles offshore, 50 miles east of Portland.

Fishermen often complain about all the safety rules they are required to follow in today’s world, ones that often come with a hefty price tag.

In this case, the crew’s cold water survival training enabled them to move fast and do what they knew they needed to do. The EPIRB made it possible for the Coast Guard cutter, lifeboat, and a helicopter out of Cape Cod to reach them fast, within an hour’s time.

We were pleased that it was crew members from our own Coast Guard station who were first on the scene. We often forget how lucky we are to have our own station right here in Boothbay Harbor. Many Maine coastal communities don’t share that good fortune.

This close call reminds us all that fishing is one of the world’s most dangerous professions.

Fishermen face close calls on a regular basis, many of them life-threatening. The Jeanne C is, we believe, the last small dragger operating out of Boothbay Harbor. How sad.

Most fishermen can’t survive on the limited number of days they are allowed to fish per year. Can you imagine being told you could only go to your job when the government said it was OK, and if you did go, you’d be limited to what you could do. In the case of fishermen, that means being told what they can and can’t catch, and how much.

Pinkham grew up in the fishing business locally, serving as a crew member until he assumed ownership of the Jeanne C. He worked ashore of necessity in recent years, carefully using his designated fishing days to his best advantage. Now, he’s back ashore with no boat, the loss of his catch, and no insurance. It’s a sobering example of Maine fishing these days.

Most of us, however, are focusing on the fact that all of the things that are supposed to work when you’re in trouble on the water did. Kelo and Morgan are safely back ashore.

We’re sure the Pinkhams, other local fishing families, and the entire community will have a sobering reminder of what could have been at next year’s Fishermen’s Memorial Service when they read the list of those who have departed from our fishing port over the years, never to return. We’ll need to give special thanks.