Sad news. Dr. Edmund ‘Ned’ Cabot, 69, a retired surgeon and a lifelong sailor, drowned on Saturday off the coast of Newfoundland when his sloop  Cielita was knocked down by a “rogue wave” and he was lost overboard.

Edmund ‘Ned’ Cabot, Boston Brahmin scion and avid yachtsman, drowns off Newfoundland

Cabot and his two friends set out along the Newfoundland coast in winds that neared gale force Saturday morning, Ellis said, and the winds increased during the day. Ellis said that from what he understood, around midday, with winds coming from the rear of the boat from about a 45-degree angle, Cabot came from below deck to relieve the helmsman. A wave struck with such force that the boat was knocked on its side, spilling Cabot and the helmsman into the water.

The helmsman was swept back onto the deck when the boat returned to an upright position, but Cabot remained in the water. His friends tried to get a rope to Cabot, but were unable to, Ellis said. The impact of the wave also broke a chain in the steering mechanism, so they were unable to steer the yacht toward Cabot.

The Canadian Coast Guard began a search by helicopter, airplane, and boat that continued overnight, but they were unable to recover Cabot’s body until early this morning. Cabot’s friends rigged an emergency tiller that allowed them to control the Cielita somewhat, and were able to bring the sloop into port, Ellis said.

In a statement released by the family, Cabot’s wife described the father of four as a man with a passion for adventure that he shared with others.

“He was good at everything he did, and a great teacher,” Betsy Washburn Cabot said in the statement. “You couldn’t get out of an invitation by claiming you didn’t know how to do it, because he would teach you how.”

Cabot wrote and spoke publicly about his voyages, and won a 2012 writing award from the Cruising Club of America, in which he was a longtime member. In addition to sailing, Cabot enjoyed skiing, whitewater kayaking, and horseback riding, family and friends said.

Cabot’s father, Thomas Dudley Cabot, served as director of the US State Department’s Office of International Security Affairs under President Harry S Truman. His grandfather, Godfrey Lowell Cabot, in 1882 founded the Cabot Corporation, a Boston-based company that manufactures industrial materials.

 Cabot was a surgeon at Brigham & Women’s Hospital for more than 25 years and taught at Harvard Medical School. He retired from medicine a decade ago and dedicated himself to philanthropy and sailing. He was the founder of Cabot-Wellington LLC and a trustee of the Cabot Family Charitable Trust and the Godfrey L. Cabot Family Association.

Thanks to Dexter Donham for passing on the news. Dexter also notes, “In addition to what is mentioned in the Globe article, Ned was a classmate of mine in college, and wrote several articles about sailing in northern waters for Ocean Navigator magazine.  He will be greatly missed.”