The call came in to Lincoln County Communications at 5:28 a.m. on January 17 from an unidentified caller saying there was a boat sinking in the waters off Pemaquid Point.

Stories are circulating and at this point the Maine Marine Patrol and Coast Guard are trying to get to the truth.

McCann, who is holding a press conference in Hallowell at 3:30 p.m. said that there have been no signs of a person in the water or the 23-foot sailboat that the caller claimed was sinking.

“We have talked to (the caller) and we don't know what the truth is at this point,” McCann said.

Rumors of a possible father and son having been passengers on the boat are unsubstantiated.

“A possible vessel in distress and person in the water is our focus right now,” McCann said. “The possibility that this is a hoax wouldn't deter us at this time.”

He said a Coast Guard vessel, a Maine Marine Patrol boat, a helicopter and airplane from Cape Cod Air Station are searching within a 10 mile area to the east, west and south of Pemaquid Point.

Original post: Bristol Fire Chief Paul Leeman received a call at 5:28 a.m. from Lincoln County Communications reporting a boat sinking off of Pemaquid Point.

According to Leeman, there were two people who had come ashore from the sinking vessel. The caller was reportedly on the shore watching the boat take on water.

New Harbor First Assistant Chief Jared Pendleton said that the caller said someone was still on the boat, and that he had been there searching the area for a while.

According to Pendleton it was also reported that the boat had been taking on water for an hour before the call.

After an extensive ground search covering one mile in each direction from the Pemaquid lighthouse, the search was suspended at 8:35 a.m., after nothing had turned up. The U.S. Coast Guard and  Marine Patrol are continuing search and rescue efforts.

"There is a very very small possibility that we'll find anything by shore search at this point," Pendleton said.

According to Leeman, the sheriff's department is in the process of interviewing the original caller, whose name has not been released.