File Photo / Courtesy, Robert Serbagi
Fishing vessel Emmy Rose was home-ported in Portland but on its way to Gloucester, Mass., at the time of its sinking.
December 8, 2020
Fishing community, others respond to tragedy of lost Portland vessel
Courtesy / Robert Serbagi
The 82-foot fishing vessel Emmy Rose, based in Portland, sank with a loss of all four crew members on Nov. 23.
By William Hall
Two weeks since the sinking of a Portland fishing boat with all four crew seem to have little eased the loss for members of the maritime community and others.
But businesses, fishermen and hundreds of individual donors are trying to help family members of the four men, three of whom were from Maine.
The 82-foot dragger Emmy Rose is believed to have sunk in the early morning of Nov. 23, 22 miles northeast of Provincetown, Mass. Officials do not know the cause of the tragedy.
There was no distress call from the Emmy Rose, only a signal that a Coast Guard station in Boston received at 1:30 a.m. from the boat’s emergency position indicating radio beacon, a device that automatically activates when a vessel sinks or capsizes. At the time, there were 30-knot winds and 6- to 8-foot seas in the area.
The Coast Guard conducted a 2,000-square-mile, 38-hour search that turned up debris and an empty life raft. But the men — all experienced mariners — were never found. On the afternoon of Nov. 24, the Coast Guard suspended the search.
Lost aboard the Emmy Rose were the vessel’s captain, Robert Blethen Jr., of Georgetown; Jeff Matthews, of Portland; Mike Porper, of Gloucester, Mass.; and Ethan Ward, of Pownal.
The boat, owned by Rink Varian and berthed in Portland, was on its way to unload a catch in Gloucester, Mass., according to the Coast Guard.
On Nov. 25, over 100 family members, friends and supporters held candlelight vigils on the Portland waterfront in memory of the crew, and Varian’s daughter, Rosalee Varian, launched a crowdfunding campaign to raise money to support the families.
The campaign set out to raise $100,000, but in two weeks has raised over $121,000 from 1,100 donors. All proceeds are being handled by the Maine Coast Fishermen’s Association and will be divided equally among the four families, Varian said on her GoFundMe page.
“The crew on the F/V Emmy Rose were honorable men. All were extremely passionate about the fishing industry, but most importantly, they loved and cared for their families more than anything in the world,” Rosalee Varian wrote. “These four men were the best out there. They will be deeply missed, but they will never be forgotten.”
Maine businesses have also chipped in.
Rugged Seas, an apparel maker launched earlier this year by Cape Elizabeth fisherman Taylor Strout and his wife, Nikki Strout, has been donating some of its sale proceeds to the fund. The company, which produces many goods from recycled fishermen’s bibs, has also worked with printer 320ink in Westbrook to create long-sleeve shirts in memory of the Emmy Rose crew, and is donating money from those sales.
In addition, Portland-based Free Range Fish & Lobster is raising funds to help.
The seafood market on Commercial Street is raffling off 24 live lobsters, with all proceeds going to the families.
On its Facebook page, the company said, "The fishing industry is a cornerstone to our New England way of life, and our fishermen and lobstermen risk everything each time they slip out of their berths."
Commercial fishing is one of the country's most hazardous occupations, according to the National Institute for Occupational Safety and Health.
From 2000-2015, there was an annual average of 42 deaths (117 deaths per 100,000 workers) among fishermen, compared with an average of 5,247 deaths (four per 100,000 workers) among all U.S. workers, according to the institute.
In East Coast fisheries during that period, 225 deaths occurred, or an average of 15 annually.
Courtesy / RUgged Seas
A shirt produced by Rugged Seas bears a message honoring the Emmy Rose crew. All sale proceeds are going to assist their family members.
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Anonymous
December 8, 2020
He wasn't just my uncle. He was my brother, a father figure and my best friend. He did it all for his children. He lived to care for his family. I am speaking on behalf of the cousins and distant relatives he cared for that have no voice in this tragedy. He was loved by so many and had a heart of pure gold. There are so many of us that will miss him and what he has done for all of us. And to the four fishermen who set out to sea to feed their families. And to the ones who have lost a loved one! Watch over us and we will forever have you in our hearts and prayers. I'll miss you Uncle Jeff. And thank you for being the best part of us each and every passing day.
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