3 Rescued After Boat Becomes Stranded In Hazardous Conditions

FIRE ISLAND, NY -- Three people were rescued by the Coast Guard after they became stranded on a boat caught in rough seas off of Fire Island Thursday afternoon.

The Coast Guard received a call at about noon from Sea Tow of Great South Bay of a disabled 23-foot recreational boat with three people on board. A Coast Guard Station boat crew and a Suffolk County Police Department Marine Bureau crew both responded to help the stranded boaters.

However, due to the hazardous weather and surf conditions, the Coast Guard had to deploy a helicopter crew to help with the rescue.

U.S. Coast Guard courtesy photo

The helicopter crew arrived on scene and hoisted the boaters, who were wearing lifejackets, onboard and brought them to safety at Station Fire Island.

The boat remained at anchor and will be retrieved as soon as the weather allows. Sector Long Island Sound will continue to monitor the situation until the vessel is safely recovered.

"What started out in the early morning as a beautiful day for fishing offshore, very quickly deteriorated into hazardous weather conditions," Commander Valerie Boyd, Response Chief at Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound. "The seamless coordination by the command center, outstanding judgement and risk management demonstrated by the Station Fire Island crew, coupled with the fast response and expert technical ability of the MH-65 crew, prevented a dangerous situation from worsening and likely saved the lives of the persons on board the distressed vessel."