While sleeping on their boat anchored off Cape Cod, the Sullivans were awakened by their dogs barking and the sound of fireworks and smoke. Their boat was on fire.
Tyler Sullivan and his parents jumped off the boat Monday night and began swimming in the dark to a nearby island owned by the Forbes family. Tyler and his father, Patrick Sullivan, survived, but Cynthia “Sissy” Sullivan was severely injured during the ordeal and died Thursday at a hospital, a Cape spokesman said. & The Islands District Attorney’s Office said. She was 73 years old.
His family posted on Facebook that Patrick Sullivan, who was also injured in the fire, was awake and breathing without assistance.
Once the Sullivans reached the small island, they took shelter in a barn and waited for help. They left Falmouth on Friday and plan to return Tuesday after spending the weekend near Knowshon Island, the largest in a chain of islands between the Massachusetts mainland and Martha’s Vineyard.
By Tuesday night, relatives began to worry when the family did not return and the Coast Guard joined local authorities in the search. Other boaters were alerted to the search efforts Tuesday night, according to audio provided Broadcastify.com.
“Mariners are asked to maintain a close watch and assist if possible, and report all sightings to the Coast Guard,” the alert said.
It wasn’t until Tyler Sullivan found a marine radio washed up on shore that he was able to call for help on Wednesday.
“Mayday, Mayday, Mayday! Our ship has fallen into Tarpaulin Bay!” He told a Coast Guard dispatcher, noting that he and his parents had taken refuge on a farm. “Our ship burned while we were sleeping and we barely survived!”
The dispatcher asked Sullivan about his parents’ medical condition and whether they were able to move or sit.
A Coast Guard helicopter rescued the family and took them to the hospital. Sullivan’s brother, Chris Sullivan, initially told WCVB-TV that his mother was in critical but stable condition. But he confirmed on Facebook that she had died.
“We played some John Mellencamp songs with her while she was dying. It was her all-time favorite, and she adored it,” he wrote. “This hurts me more than anything I could ever imagine. I rely on my close friends, family and my two young children. We will get through this together.”
Scott Buckholm, search and rescue mission coordinator for Coast Guard Sector Southeast New England, credited the family with how they responded to the fire.
“Thinking quickly and obtaining high-quality equipment allowed the family to survive and seek help,” he said in a statement.
Chris Sullivan praised his brother’s actions.
“My brother saved them both and managed to get them off the boat under very chaotic circumstances. He doesn’t want to be called a hero, but he is,” he wrote on Facebook.
Authorities say the matter is still under investigation.