Police rescue two men clinging to a cooler after their boat sinks in outer harbor

Boston Police report officers on one of its harbor boats rescued a father and son whose boat sank off Graves Light Wednesday evening, leaving them treading water with just one life jacket and a floating cooler between them.

On approach, the officers observed a vessel about 100 yards off the coast of Graves Light and could only see a small portion of the vessel “Glory Days” bow above water. As the officers got closer, they observed a blue object floating in the water, and moments later, observed two men floating holding on to a blue cooler.

The men reported to the officers that they were weak and were having difficulty keeping their heads above water. The officers rescued the men by pulling them from the water and on to the police boat. Later, the men reported their boat’s engine got tangled in lobster lines and began to take on water, eventually sinking and causing them to abandon ship.

Both were treated by EMTs when BPD returned them to a dock connected to terra firma. A company managed to lift the boat out of the water and tow it to Thompson's Island, police say.