A commercial shellfisherman who capsized his center console on a remote stretch of the Westport River’s west branch last Thursday was able to make it safely to shore with the help of a nearby quahogger. But as of Monday his boat is still on the river, anchored where it capsized.

The victim was anchored up and raking near Judy’s Island just before 11 a.m. Thursday, March 21, when his boat somehow turned into the weather. Marine services director Chris Leonard said the boat began taking on water over the stern, swamped and rolled over, sending the man into the water.

“Luckily the person was able to get back into another boat and they made it back to their truck without any problems,” Leonard said.

One quahogger who wasn’t there but heard about the incident afterwards said the man easily could have ended up in deep trouble.

“‘He said it happened so fast,’” the man said of the quahogger who went in the water. “There were probably four boats there but the guy that plucked him out was very close and saw him go in. He said it happened in a matter of seconds. By the time he got back to the stern to cut the line, the boat went down. He ended up hanging onto the stern.”

Though the boat remains anchored in the spot about two thirds of the way up the branch’s east shore, there are plans for it to be righted and pulled out on Wednesday, which looks to be the best day of the week, weather-wise.

Leonard said that while the incident could have turned tragic, the man was lucky that other quahoggers were around.

“It was not a nice day and this was in a remote area,” he said. “The wind was blowing. He was lucky that someone was close by and they were able to help.”