SALISBURY — A new witness has come forward and presented what police say is a different and more plausible account of last week's boating accident, involving Seth Coellner, of Kensington, N.H,, who is still missing and presumed drowned.
Salisbury police Chief David L'Esperance said a Groveland resident recently contacted Salisbury Detective Sgt. Richard Merrill with an eyewitness account to the accident that sank a 36-foot cabin cruiser, a 1974 Uniflite, on June 24. The accident threw three passengers — who were rescued — into the waters at the mouth of the Merrimack River, and most likely took the life of 36-year-old Coellner, a former Coast Guardsman and boat captain.
L'Esperance said the witness was fishing along Plum Island with his son the night of the accident, about 50 feet from the Newburyport Coast Guard Station, when about 9:50 p.m. he saw what he believes was the boat Coellner was driving enter the mouth of the river just north of the south jetty that extends off the entrance of the Merrimack.
"The witness said he saw the boat enter the mouth of the river and shine its light on the south jetty," L'Esperance said. "Then it slowly turned, heading toward the north jetty, taking about five minutes to go about 75 feet. He said the fog was very dense and visibility was so bad he couldn't even see his son, who was fishing about 20 feet away from him."
L'Esperance said the witness said the boat turned again, heading north as if to exit the river.
"He said the boat powered up to half throttle for about half a minute," L'Esperance said. "Then he believes the boat struck the end of the north jetty by the sign at about a 30 degree angle. He said the boat light was only visible for about a second after that. It seems like there may have been a swell that covered the tip of the jetty; (the boaters) didn't see it, and hit the jetty."
L'Esperance believes this version of what happened makes sense given where most of the boat's debris is being found, which is about 200 to 300 yards northeast of the north jetty.
The search for Coellner has been unsuccessful, with no trace of the husband and father being found. The Coast Guard called of its search last week. Thursday, the local dive team of Salisbury, Amesbury and Newburyport police tried to resume their search for Coellner, but fog, rain and poor water conditions prevented divers from going in, L'Esperance said.
"Under the conditions, we couldn't get a safety zone around the divers," L'Esperance said. "We're calling the family; right now we've called off the search, unless we can find some new information, regroup and resume it at another time."
L'Esperance said the account provided by the Groveland witness is much more probable than the account of a former witness who speculated the boaters headed straight toward the jetty, trying to jump it, but smashed on the rocks.
"I don't think he was trying to jump the jetty," L'Esperance said. "I think he thought he was clear of the jetty and tried to turn north, when he hit it."
Newburyport police Senior Lt. Rick Siemasko was on duty the night of the accident when Coellner's 911 call came in to dispatch, and Siemasko said previously it was difficult to make out what Coellner was saying. The ocean was turbulent, Siemasko said, because of a moon high tide.
Recalling Coellner's 911 call, Siemasko said Coellner stayed on the phone as the boat sank, in an effort to give rescuers the location of the accident.
"If not for him, the others had no chance," Siemasko said. "The caller gave us a pretty good location."
The Boston Coast Guard station received a Mayday call from the vessel and launched two 47-foot life boats and a 25-foot rescue boat from Station Merrimack River, as well as a Jayhawk rescue helicopter from Air Station Cape Cod. The helicopter was used to rescue passenger Mark Baillargeon, 50, of 11 Chapel St., Newmarket, N.H, who sustained leg and back injuries.
The cutter, then picked up Jacob Clark, 30, of 7 Landing Road, Hampton, N.H.; Russell Hilliard, 50, of 212 Drinkwater Road, Hampton Falls, N.H., thought to be the owner of the boat. Both men declined medical treatment, although Hilliard was taken into protective custody after the accident by Salisbury police.
The four friends had set out from Hampton Harbor to the Newburyport city docks on a pleasure cruise.
