Jenny Lee - A sailboat grounded and flooded in the Essex River; two brothers and their dog were pulled from the cold water
An EPIRB alert sent crews to the listing 30-foot Jenny Lee off Coffins Beach; the two men were hypothermic — one carried 250 yards through the dunes — and the dog was found floating in a plastic tote.
What happened.
On a Friday evening in early May 2026, the 30-foot sailboat Jenny Lee ran aground and began flooding off Coffins Beach, near the mouth of the Essex River in Massachusetts. The boat's emergency beacon alerted the Coast Guard, and local crews rescued the two men aboard — brothers, 28 and 30 — and their small dog. Both men were treated for hypothermia; the dog was unharmed.
On a Friday evening in early May 2026, the 30-foot sailboat Jenny Lee ran aground and began taking on water off Coffins Beach, near the mouth of the Essex River on the Massachusetts coast. The US Coast Guard picked up the yacht's emergency beacon at 8:12 p.m. and alerted the regional 911 centre, and Essex police and fire crews found the boat listing heavily and sinking. The two people aboard — brothers aged 28 and 30 — were brought ashore: one could walk, but the other was carried roughly 250 yards through the sand dunes by a police officer. A small dog was recovered floating alongside the men in a plastic tote. Both brothers were taken to hospital and treated for hypothermia, and were reported in stable condition; the dog was unharmed. The body-camera footage of the rescue, later released, showed how quickly a grounding in cold water close to shore can turn into a life-threatening emergency.
What it teaches.
- 1An emergency beacon works close to shore, too — and it found them. The Jenny Lee's beacon alerted the Coast Guard, sending crews straight to the listing boat. Register and carry a beacon, or a PLB on your body, even for coastal sailing; it turns 'somewhere out there' into a precise position in minutes.
- 2Cold water can disable you within sight of land. Both brothers were hypothermic — one had to be carried 250 yards ashore — after grounding in a chilly river. Dress for the water temperature, not the air; in cold seas, immersion saps strength and judgement in minutes, even on a short hop.
- 3Plan for the dog before the day goes wrong. The Jenny Lee's dog came through floating in a plastic tote. Pets cannot help themselves in an emergency — carry a way to keep an animal afloat and a plan to get it off, so it never becomes a last-second risk to the crew.
Where this comes from.
SeaWise indexes and links to primary sources; it does not host their reports or media. Crew are referred to by role unless documented consent is on file.
Procedures involved.
More like this.
Share your story.
SeaWise records are richer when survivors and crewmates contribute what they remember. Submissions are private by default — your name and contact never appear on the public record.
Submit a story