Officer Jeff Garcia pulled a 13-year-old female and a 15-year-old male from Rye out of the water around 2:30 p.m. on July 22 approximately two miles south of Manursing Island in Rye. Garcia spotted the exhausted teens struggling in the water against the current while performing sea trials in the department’s newly-acquired 24-foot Boston Whaler named Harbor One.
The officer returned the teens and their boards to Westchester Beach Club.
“The pair handled themselves quite well,” said Port Chester Police Chief Richard Conway in a statement. “They stayed together and did not panic. The rescue illustrates one of the dangers in paddle boarding in the Sound. A person standing on a board, in effect, becomes a sail. Add to that a parallel current and you could find yourself far from shore and exhausted from fighting the current.”
Harbor One joined the Port Chester Police Department in July from the New York State Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation. With twin 200-hp Mercury outboards, the boat can reach speeds more than 50 mph and can operate in sea of five feet.
“We are looking forward to great things from the Harbor Patrol Program,” said Conway in a statement.
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