A Tragic Day Near My Home in Maine
As I mentioned in yesterday's blog, I was in Maine for business and shooting for television this past weekend when Hurricane Bill was working his fury with the sea. The surf was incredibly high and was pounding the shore and curious crowds were drawn to Acadia National Forest. Park Rangers had posted signs warning of dangerous surf and the areas of Sand Beach and Thunder Hole were blocked off. Unfortunately, in another area, people were on a cliff about 20 feet above sea level when a wave crashed around their feet. When they turned to retreat, another wave came, taking seven people with it. Four managed to make it to shore, but three others were swept out to sea. Sadly, the Coast Guard was able to rescue only two of them, with a seven-year-old girl perishing. Our sincere condolences to her family and friends.
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- The white breakers heralded extra high tides and an impending storm.
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- This scene is just about a half mile north from where the victims in Acadia were washed out to sea by a rogue wave – white surf, like this, is quite rare in the summertime.
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- The traffic jam in Acadia National Park on Ocean Drive – the drive was closed because of the emergency.
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- Cars were diverted from Ocean Drive back to Route 3 (Bar Harbor) because rescue teams, ambulances, and park rangers were hard at work trying to rescue those washed out to sea near Thunder Hole.
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- We drove back on Cooksey Drive and the white surf was raging in Raven’s Cleft.
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- The seas were wild with lots of white foam crashing into the rocks.
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- The sea almost totally obscured Bunkers Ledge – a seaman’s marker right at the mouth into Seal Harbor.
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- The surf was churning.
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