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| Terry Adams and his grand-daughter Hillary Adams-Wainwright, local heroes (photo by Michelle Kingston) |
By Michelle Kingston
Staff Columnist
YORK -
As if running your own lobster boat at thirteen years old
isn’t impressive enough, Hillary Adams-Wainwright, of York, is now considered a
local Seacoast hero after saving two lives on Monday, July 11, from the
Piscataqua River.
“Everyone kind of made it seem like it was (a big deal), but
I don’t really think it was at all. It was just kind of like, it happened,” she
said.
She had just finished dropping off a load of lobsters at
Chrissy D. Lobster Company in Kittery with her grandfather, Terry Adams, 66,
when she spotted Portsmouth Naval Shipyard workers whistling and motioning them
to turn around.
As the pair began to rotate the boat, scanning the river for
what they thought would be divers, Adams-Wainwright spotted a small, scared and
struggling four-legged friend searching for help.
“We went and grabbed the dog, and we were heading back, and
they were still telling us to go back,” she said.
A woman on Peirce Island was also frantically screaming for
Adams-Wainwright and her grandfather to continue looking around.
“She was hysterical,” said Adams.
Penny, the small pup, who Adams-Wainwright believed was an
English Terrier, was recovering on the boat when Adams spotted a hand pop up
out of the river. Penny’s owner was also gasping for air, requiring assistance
and hoping to be rescued.
“We found him, and we had him catch his breath on the side
of the boat when we got up to him and then we pulled him in,” said
Adams-Wainwright.
Penny and her owner, Chris Stephens, 27, of Haverhill,
Massachusetts, were playing fetch on Peirce Island when a long toss took Penny
out into the current. Stephens swam out to save Penny when he was caught up in
the current as well.
They were both brought to safety very quickly. Adams feared
that if he didn’t move away from the shore fast his boat was going to ground
out.
“I just wanted to get out of there before we ruined the
boat,” he said. “We got him out of the boat. We got the dog out of the boat.
Then we got out of there. I was afraid I was getting hung up, and I would be in
trouble. We just got out of there as soon as we could,” said Adams.
Steve Achilles, Portsmouth Deputy Fire Chief, said Stephens
refused medical treatment from Portsmouth paramedics at the scene and chose not
to be transported to Portsmouth Regional Hospital.
Both Stephens and his dog appeared to be okay at the scene.
However, both Adams-Wainwright and Adams do not think they would have been if
it weren’t for them being there.
“There were other boats,” said Adams-Wainwright. “But no one
noticed.”
“They just kept right on going,” said Adams.
Adams believed the dog and her owner had been distressed in
the water for at least fifteen minutes before he and his granddaughter saved
them. They had drifted off land about 100-150 yards, according to Adams.
The owner and the dog are both safe, but have not contacted
the Maine heroes who saved their lives last week.
“Haven’t heard from him,” said Adams, a bit surprised.
Adams-Wainwright and Adams have been fishing together for
more than five years now and have never had to rescue anyone from the river
before.
However, Adams did save a kayaker in the York River a few
years ago.
“He was just exhausted. He was going out with the tide,”
said Adams.
They both caution all swimmers, local and from away, to be
cautious of the tides in our area.
Adams-Wainwright has spent her summer days since she was
eight years old with her grandfather, pulling in traps, bonding, and making
hard-earned cash as she gains experience for her dream job as a marine
biologist.
“She’ll have up to 150 traps next year,” said Adams.
After all these years, she says she has never caught anyone
quite like she did last week. Just lobsters.
