July 23, 2026 — A fisherman spent hours stranded in the water after falling overboard, until a New Bedford fishing crew rushed to his aid.
Joao Dasilva told 12 News that it was a normal day for him and the rest of the crew on the Seel Jr. as they were nearing the end of a nine-day trip.
They heard a call for help about a man overboard and didn’t hesitate to step in.
“So, we haul back … and once we got there, Sammy’s like, ‘go out on the bow and see if you can see anything,’” Dasilva recalled.
November 26, 2019 — Scalloper Samuel Pereira was headed back to State Pier on Saturday morning when his boat passed the Leonardo heading out to sea. Over the radio, he said, the two skippers chatted briefly about the forecast, which was predicting fierce conditions.
“The weather was no good for me, because I have a small boat,” Pereira recalled Monday. “He knew it was going to be [sloppy]. But he said he was going to fish slow.”
It was the last Pereira would hear from the boat, a scalloper, or its captain. On Monday, the Coast Guard suspended its search off Martha’s Vineyard for three fishermen missing from the 56-foot Leonardo, which apparently capsized 24 nautical miles from the Vineyard and sank Sunday, with four aboard.
“We will no longer be searching unless a new development happens . . . meaning something is reported that would necessitate reasonable efforts to continue,” said Petty Officer Zachary Hupp, a Coast Guard spokesman.