Dragger Is Salvaged

The raising of Norman Edwards's small dragger over the weekend was a carefully orchestrated community effort that participants said reflected the respect held for the 76-year-old fisherman, who died on May 16 when his boat capsized in wind-whipped Gardiner's Bay.

On Saturday, the Little Robert E lay upside down less than a quarter mile off the beach near Hog Creek. The crew of the 41-foot patrol boat from the Montauk Coast Guard station attached a line to the overturned boat in an attempt to stabilize her enough for East Hampton Town Police divers to place air-filled 55-gallon drums beneath the hull.

Because of the swells, they could not get the boat stable enough, however, and the salvaging effort was suspended until Monday.

Pulled Ashore

Also on Saturday, the East Hampton Hazardous Materials Team placed absorbent booms around the vessel to corral the little bit of oil that had escaped. None washed onto the beach, harbormasters reported.

On Monday volunteers began attaching lines to the boat beginning at 6 a.m. Two bulldozers supplied by Carmine DiSunno arrived an hour later and were successful in pulling the Little Robert E ashore.

The boat was pumped dry, refloated, and towed into Three Mile Harbor. The Little Robert E was finally placed on a trailer at about 2 p.m. Monday. Gordon Vorpahl towed it to Mr. Edwards's house on Atlantic Avenue in Amagansett. Volunteers said great care was taken not to damage the vessel.

Community Effort

"I hate to name individuals because I don't want to leave anyone out. It was a community effort. There were a lot of people involved. It was really great," Capt. Norman Edwards Jr., the drowned fisherman's son, said on Tuesday.

The fisherman's grandson who graduated from the U.S. Coast Guard Academy last year is named Jonathan Baker. He was misidentified in last week's obituary of Captain Edwards.