The following account of the shipwreck was printed in The Inquirer and Mirror newspaper in 1945, and recounts how the Nantucketers assigned to the Surfside lifesaving station jumped into action to save the crew of the Warren Sawyer: “Patrolman Eugene Clisby sighted the schooner’s lights of Miacomet Rip and hastened to the station to ‘call all hands.’ The surf was raging, completely enveloping the craft with only the swaying masts visible in the blackness of the night. Capt. Veeder shot a line over the jib-stay, putting it this far forward to avoid hitting anyone on board. But the sailors were too numbed with the cold to attempt going forward to secure it. Finally patrolman Williams, during a smooth sea, rushed down the beach and with a hand-line swung a line over her bow. The sailors made their way across the sea-washed decks and secured the line. A hawser was made fast and a breeches buoy rigged. “With the schooner lurching under the impact of the seas, it was a difficult task to keep a steady strain on the hawser, but the experienced life savers worked unceasingly and with the coming of the morning of the 23rd, all hands had been safely landed on the beach.”

The Warren Sawyer wrecked on Nantucket on the night of Dec. 22, 1884, around 11 p.m., loaded with a cargo of cotton and scrap iron. It had been bound for Boston from New Orleans, but was blown off course by gale force winds.

The large section of the shipwreck spotted on Saturday is located in the same area where pieces of the Warren Sawyer were uncovered in December 2022. The nor’easter has already caused significant erosion in that area near Point of Breakers / sewer beds.

The nor’easter lashing Nantucket with wind and rain this weekend has uncovered the remains of a shipwreck along the island’s south shore. The fragment is likely from the 19th century schooner Warren Sawyer, a wooden ship that wrecked near Miacomet Beach on December 22, 1884.

Good morning from Nantucket. All ferry service to and from the island is suspended for the day. Overall though, pretty tame so far.

A reliable source at one of the island’s churches tells the Current there are at least 34 weddings scheduled on the island this weekend 😬

Still a few holdouts in Nantucket Harbor

Yes

Yes, these are our videos. Our terms: ABC may use them as long as we are credited as “Nantucket Current” on air and online, and with our @ handle in the caption of any social media uses

And there she goes! #VomitComet

Yes

This was the line to get on the Steamship Authority freight boat leaving Nantucket this morning. It is one of the few, maybe the only, chances to get off the island today due to the high winds. Nantucket Police had to be called due to disputes over people cutting in line.

Hoping to connect with Chuck soon for a follow-up

This was the story we wrote five years ago: n-magazine-archive.com/a-lot…

We reached out to Fotopoulos for comment, but have not heard back. Here’s another view of the house, which is adorned with the quarterboard “Swept Away,” taken this week:

Five years later, it appears Fotopoulos’ gamble has paid off. The house is still standing, as are the geotubes (although they are damaged due to alleged vandalism). Here’s how the property at 93 Baxter Road looks today:

The house sits directly in front of the controversial geotubes that were installed to stabilize the bluff and prevent erosion. The town has been fighting over whether to remove or expand them for more than a decade. Here’s another photo and quote from Fotopoulos in 2021:

Five years ago this month a Massachusetts car dealership owner named Charlie Fotopoulos purchased this home perched on the edge of the Sconset Bluff on Nantucket, where numerous homes have succumbed to erosion, at a fire sale price. At the time, he gave us this memorable quote:

Definitely the type of storm where the coastline sees the most impact Erosion and strong gusts remain likely there/highest risk of power outages

And just like that, the harbor is nearly empty as hundreds of boats have been hauled out over the past few days ahead of a long duration nor'easter that is in the forecast for southern New England and Nantucket this weekend. The storm is expected to bring rain, damaging wind gusts, along with coastal erosion and flooding to the island. The storm will combine with a full moon and astronomically high tides to exacerbate the impacts along the waterfront. Harbormaster Sheila Lucey said on Tuesday that the dinghy docks at the town pier are closed until further notice, and that she is "encouraging all mariners to stay off the water until the wind subsides." The Children's Beach boat ramp will be closed at 5 p.m. on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Steamship Authority stated it is expecting the gusty winds to cause cancellations, while Hy-Line Cruises announced that it will be running on a "trip-by-trip" basis through the weekend. "Gonna be a ride for sure," WBZ meteorologist @ericfisher told the Current about the storm's impacts on Nantucket. This image was taken Wednesday morning looking east over the harbor.