Watch Hill Fire responded to assist the United States Coast Guard this morning at 0801 hours with a report of a capsized boat with three victims in the water in the area of Lords Passage near Fishers Island, New York. Watch Hill firefighters responded with Marine 101 and quickly located the overturned boat, an eighteen foot center console open powerboat, at 0818 hours just off Green Can # 7 near the Latimer Point Lighthouse. A coordinated joint search was initiated using boat crews from the Coast Guard as well as Mystic Fire, Groton Long Point Fire, and Stonington Police. A Coast Guard boat crew located the victims at 0827 and transported them into Stonington Harbor. The three male victims, in their forties, fifties, and seventies, were all wearing personal flotation devices and had been in the water for more than thirty minutes. They had no apparent injuries but were transported to the hospital by Stonington Ambulance as a precaution for further evaluation.

THE FACT THAT ALL THREE VICTIMS WERE WEARING PERSONAL FLOTATION DEVICES CLEARLY PLAYED A PIVOTAL ROLE IN THE SUCCESSFUL OUTCOME OF THIS INCIDENT!