A Coast Guard MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City hoisted two distressed mariners to safety and transported them to Coast Guard Station Fire Island on Friday, Oct. 9, 2015. According to the U.S. Coast Guard, both mariners were wearing lifejackets and no injuries were reported. (Credit: U.S. Coast Guard)
Coast Guard arrived at the right time
This story reported by NEWSDAY
One of two distressed mariners the Coast Guard rescued from swirling seas near the Fire Island Inlet on Friday, said he knew there was trouble when the boat's transmission failed and they were stranded in the surf, in the inlet's roughest part.
"The first 10 minutes was pretty rough," said Dan Zecchini, 45, of Oakdale.
Zecchini said he and his father, Daniel Zecchini, 66, of East Islip were returning from a fishing trip when problems started with the father's 18-year-old boat.
"Before we got the anchor out, I thought the boat was going to flip," he said