Local man drowns in Newburyport tragedy
Published on November 27th, 2002
STONEHAM, MA - A frantic nearly daylong underwater search for a 41 year-old Stoneham man in the chilly depths of the Merrimack River ended in tragedy last week. The body of Mark Ray, 41, of 2 Webster Court, who had just been married to Joanne (Melanson) (Mahoney) Ray on October 26, was pulled from the Merrimack River on Thursday afternoon shortly before noon, according to Newburyport Police sources.
Ray, an avid sailor, took a skiff out to his 41 foot sailboat anchored in the Merrimack River off the coast of Newburyport during the high winds and rough waters of last Wednesday afternoon.
In a tragic chain of events, Ray slipped as he attempted to board his sailboat, and was spotted by an eyewitness screaming for help as he struggled to stay afloat in the water.
Newburyport Police received calls from residents who witnessed Ray bobbing in the rough waters, and both a regional dive team comprised of Newburyport, Salisbury and Amesbury Police Departments and the Coast Guard search and rescue team arrived on scene.
“We had a 911 call from a gentlemen who observed the victim in the water down-river calling for help,” said Newburyport Police Lt. Frank Gagnon. “He observed the victim submerge, and then he never observed the victim re-emerge.”
“He then directed the divers to the exact location,” said Gagnon.
Both teams worked together to locate Ray and performed two dives, but were forced to suspend the search on Wednesday night due to darkness.
Coast Guard officials continued the search using infra-red sensors during the murky darkness of night along the Merrimack.
The rescue attempt began in earnest again during the hours after dawn on Thursday, and, by late that morning, divers found the body of Ray within 300 feet of where he was spotted in the water on Wednesday.
Ray, travelling by himself and without a life preserver at the time of the accident, was boarding the boat to make repairs and prep the vessel for the often severe winter weather of coastal New England.
Ray’s death was the 51st boat-related death in New England this year, according to Coast Guard officials.
Mark Ray, a Tyngsboro native, was a manager at A.R. Plumbing and Heating in North Chelmsford, and was step-father to Daniel and Brendan Mahoney of Stoneham.
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