Kayakers rescued off Moon Island

1 was in water 30 minutes

Members of the Boston Police Harbor Patrol Unit on Tuesday recalled the dramatic rescue of two stranded kayakers who were yelling for help as they struggled to stay afloat near the old Long Island Bridge last week.

Two men were kayaking near Moon Island Friday evening when they were suddenly jolted off course by a strong wake created by a large boat in the area, according to a police report.

One kayak had capsized, leaving a man stranded in the water and clinging to a stanchion for about 30 minutes, Officer Stefani McGrath, one of the officers who responded, said at a press conference held on the South Boston waterfront.

Another man was still aboard his kayak, which was filled halfway with water, McGrath said, according to a recording of the press conference provided by Boston police.

Shortly before 7 p.m., a patrol unit escorting a crew ship received a 911 call from one of the kayakers, who was able to call with a cellphone protected in a waterproof bag, according to the incident report and McGrath.

“Using the spotlights from the boat, we were able to locate them because we could hear them yelling for help,” McGrath said.

Both kayakers were swiftly and safely rescued. One was from Pennsylvania and the other from New York, the incident report said.

The man stranded in the water was able to swim to the boat and was brought safely aboard, McGrath said.

“He told us he had been in the water for almost 30 minutes and he was cramping up,” she said.

Both men were wearing personal floatation devices, which helped them retain some body heat, said EMT Paul Ciampa at the press conference. Ciampa was also on board the police boat at the time of the rescue.

The men were evaluated on board the boat, one showing signs of hypothermia. They were taken to Tufts Medical Center for further evaluation.

“When I took their temperatures, one of them was 94 degrees and that’s early onset of hypothermia,” Ciampa said.

Ciampa removed the kayakers’ wet clothes and wrapped them in blankets before they were transported to the hospital via ambulance, he said.

The pair told police they left Moon Island in Boston Harbor around 4 p.m. and were kayaking around the area, the incident report said.

“It’s not a preferred area for you to be in the kayaks, especially at night,” said Officer Jose Araujo at the press conference, who was also onboard the police boat. “At night, you shouldn’t be in a kayak period ... there’s no visibility. People can’t see you.”

McGrath said the men appeared to be using freshwater kayaks, not ocean kayaks.

The kayakers were relieved to be rescued safely.

“They kept saying, ‘Thank you, thank you for saving our lives,’” Araujo said.

‘At night, you shouldn’t be in a kayak period ... there’s no visibility. People can’t see you.’

OFFICER JOSE ARAUJO