PLUM ISLAND - A Seabrook man was rescued by a good Samaritan yesterday
afternoon after his sailboat burst into flames, according to the Coast Guard
and other rescuers.

"It was totally engulfed in flames," said Mike Goodridge, owner of the local
Tugboat U.S. franchise. "The bridge was already caved in ... the decks were
all burned out."

Goodridge ...responded to a distress call from William Lyon, who was
piloting the 33-foot Hooking Up ... (Lyon is rescued by another boat before
Goodridge arrives at the abandoned, burning Hooking Up).

....Goodridge said he has experience fighting fires at sea and used his water
pump to put out the fire.

Goodridge hung his pump's intake hose over the side to pump up ocean water,
and his gas-powered, high-volume, 3-inch pump had more than enough power to
spray the fire, he said.

"It's usually the other way around, but we have (the pump) adapted to use
both ways," Goodridge said. "The ocean's an endless supply."

After 10 or 15 minutes, Goodridge and his crew had beaten the fire back
enough to draw alongside Hooking Up, and saw the boat taking on water.

...."Goodridge "had to first negotiate insurance matters with Lyon ...

The insurance discussions were necessary, Goodridge said, because of the
potential liabilities of rescuing the boat. If Goodridge put out the fire
and later discovered the owner had no insurance, he would have been stuck
with a damaged boat, he said. "You've got to be very careful what you step
into," Goodridge said. "His problem could become my problem."
Some debris and a 50-by-50-foot oil slick were all that remained.


http://www.newburyportnews.com/punew...9115932?page=2