Officers Rescue E. Islip Men From Capsized Catamaran

PATCHOGUE, NY - Officers rescued two East Islip men who drifted more than two miles from capsized catamaran in Patchogue on Tuesday afternoon, according to Suffolk Police.

A Davis Park ferry captain observed an unoccupied, overturned 16-foot catamaran sailboat with its mainsail set near Patchogue River Buoy 1 at 3:42 p.m.

The captain radioed Marine Bureau officers via VHF radio when he did not see anyone near the vessel or in the water.

Marine Bureau Officers Robert Jenkins and Steven Tarolli responded in Marine Juliet and found the two men, identified as 71-year-old Richard Laskowski and 58-year-old Donald Ward Jr., who had drifted more than two miles southwest from the sailboat.

The officers then pulled the two men aboard Marine Juliet at 3:57 p.m.

They then transported the two men and towed the catamaran to Wet Pants Sailing Association on 30 Browns River Road in Sayville.

The two men, who are neighbors, told police they had been drifting in the water for over an hour.

While stranded in the water, the men attempted to utilize a whistle to garner attention but there were no boaters nearby to hear their distress signals.

Both men were wearing personal floatation devices and were showing signs fatigue but were not injured.

Images via SCPD