A crew from Coast Guard Station Montauk located the 18-foot Sea Fox bowrider-style boat at 6 a.m., two miles northeast of Gardiners Island.
The six boaters, identified as [omitted] who are from Brooklyn and Israel and are in their early to mid-20s, rented the boat from Uihlein's Marina on Lake Montauk. They left a brief outline of their boating plans with a rabbi, Leib Baumgarten, director of Lubavitch of the Hamptons, and with the marina.
Miracle: Six Yeshiva Boys Helping Chabad Lubavitch Of The Hamptons Rescued After Stranded In Boat Overnight
Six young men who set out from Montauk for a two-hour excursion in a rented boat Tuesday afternoon spent the night lost in heavy fog until they were rescued Wednesday morning by the Coast Guard.
A crew from Coast Guard Station Montauk located the 18-foot Sea Fox bowrider-style boat at 6 a.m., two miles northeast of Gardiners Island.
The six boaters, identified as [omitted] who are from Brooklyn and Israel and are in their early to mid-20s, rented the boat from Uihlein’s Marina on Lake Montauk. They left a brief outline of their boating plans with a rabbi, Leib Baumgarten, director of Lubavitch of the Hamptons, and with the marina.
Marina owner Henry Uihlein said the men left at 3:50 after going over a safety checklist. The fog rolled in around 4:40 p.m. when three of the marina’s boats were still out. He said his staff went out and found two of the boats and guided them back but couldn’t locate the third boat because the renters had headed north towards Connecticut. Even though they weren’t due back yet, Uihlein said he contacted East Hampton Senior Harbormaster Ed Michels, who dispatched a rescue crew and then contacted the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard said the rabbi also called at 6:20.
The agency contacted nearby marinas, radioed an alert to boaters in the area and launched a search in eastern Long Island Sound and Block Island Sound. Besides the Station Montauk crew, Station New London launched a rescue crew at 11:45 p.m. The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Chinook, an 87-foot patrol boat based in New London, joined the search at 2:30 a.m.
When the Montauk crew found the boat bobbing in fog-shrouded two-foot swells that limited visibility to 10 yards, the occupants were all wearing life jackets and were reported in good condition. They were taken onboard a 47-foot rescue boat and transported back to Station Montauk while a Coast Guard crewmember followed in the rented boat.
The boat was equipped with signal flares and an anchor but did not have a marine band radio, and none of the boaters had a cell phone, the Coast Guard said.
Uihlein said he provides gives out marine radios to renters unless they have cell phones, which give greater coverage. In this case, he said, the renters gave three cell numbers but left all of the phones in their car.
The same group had rented a larger boat last weekend and water scooters on Monday, Uihlein said. “I felt comfort that they out in this boat; it had a brand new 90 horsepower engine and high sides so water can’t get in. We’ve been in business for 50 years and we’ve only had only about four cases like this. We just don’t let any Tom, Dick or Harry rent a boat.” He said he checks the renter’s experience and offers a captain’s services if necessary. “The fog can happen to anybody,” he said.
“This was a very fortunate outcome,” said Chief Petty Officer Kurt Tremont, Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound command duty officer. “This group did not have a radio or cell phone, but they smartly left a float plan. If they had a radio or a cell phone they likely would have been found much sooner. Due to the thick fog, our search crews were relying completely on radar and operating at reduced speeds. Fortunately they did file a float plan, and it probably saved their lives.”
hamptons rox
I was so scared when I heard the news atleast they were saved go hamptons
good news
thank you for reporting the GOOD news!
with everything going on latley, you’d think we’re still in middle of the 9 days ch’v. aren’t we in the 7 weeks of nechama – comfort?
interested
not to cause fights or anything – but i do think it is interesting how both ch.info and shmais both printed this story…. BUT only ONE removed the names (out of respect for the bochurim involved… i guess it could be embarrassing!)
You guys rock!
cuz
Bh- one of the bochurim was my couzin. you have no idea how freaked out we were when we heard they were lost. BH, they are safe.
relieved
It seems the bochurim did everything right, left a sailing plan, no changing plans or fooling around. It was just bad luck that the fog hit. AND THEY WORE LIFE JACKETS…smart!! Glad to hear they are safe!
anon
were they at all affected by the big storm we had?
B H
They were located at 6 AM which was a half hour before the tornado touched down in Brooklyn and a half hour after the storms began.
btw
the storm did not effect the hamptons
Just wondering...
What’s a float plan?
Fish Blogger
They’re should have been a VHF radio on a boat that size, which would enable them to contact the Coast Guard for help. I want to know – did they catch any fish?
Good Question
What is a float plan?