July 21 was a day that started off like any other for lobsterman captain Jonathan Achorn and sternman Brandon McClure, both of Friendship.

There was thick fog all around while they were working on the water near Monhegan Island when they spotted what looked like two people in distress on another boat.

“They were waving their arms back and forth on deck. We pulled alongside and asked if they were OK,” Achorn said. “They told us their boat was taking on water.”

The two lobstermen quickly went into action. They helped the woman, Suzanne Thompson, aboard their boat, while the man, Francesco Insolia, elected to stay on the sinking vessel as long as possible. They took the boat in tow and headed for Monhegan Harbor.

“Their boat sank faster than we thought it would,” Achorn said. “We realized if we kept it in tow it would take us down with it, so we got (Insolia) on board and had to cut the line.”

Down went the boat, but thanks to the swift action of Achorn and McClure, both Thompson and Insolia were safe and sound.

On Monday, Aug. 3, the two men were honored by Coast Guard Captain Michael A. Baroody, who commands the Northern New England Sector. The ceremony took place at the Boothbay Harbor Coast Guard station located on McKown Point Road.

“We'd had a number of cases that week where a situation turned bad very quickly,” Baroody said. “If they hadn't helped those people, it is very probable we wouldn't have gotten to them in time. They truly are heroes.”

Baroody said that growing up in a good sized town, people are used to a swift response from emergency services such as the fire department, usually a matter of minutes.

“Out on the water, in the ocean, it's impossible to respond that quickly,” Baroody said. “The mariner tradition of helping each other saves lives. It's been a huge honor for me to be able to do this, to honor these brave men.”

“We've towed people in,” McClure said. “But we've never before dealt with a major disaster like that.”

“I'm proud of him,” Nicole Achorn, Jonathan's wife, said. “I'm very glad he was there.”