Six Yeshiva Bochrim who set out from Montauk for a two-hour excursion in a rented boat Tuesday afternoon spent the night lost in heavy fog until they were rescued Wednesday morning by the Coast Guard.

The six boaters, who are from Brooklyn and Eretz Yisroel and are in their early to mid-20s, rented the boat from Uihlein’s Marina on Lake Montauk. They left a brief outline of their boating plans with a rabbi, Leib Baumgarten, director of Lubavitch of the Hamptons, and with the marina.

Marina owner Henry Uihlein said the men left at 3:50 after going over a safety checklist. The fog rolled in around 4:40 p.m. when three of the marina’s boats were still out. He said his staff went out and found two of the boats and guided them back but couldn’t locate the third boat because the renters had headed north towards Connecticut. Even though they weren’t due back yet, they dispatched a rescue crew and contacted the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard said the rabbi also called at 6:20.

When the Montauk crew found the boat bobbing in fog-shrouded two-foot swells that limited visibility to 10 yards, the occupants were all wearing life jackets and were reported in good condition. They were taken onboard a 47-foot rescue boat and transported back to Station Montauk while a Coast Guard crewmember followed in the rented boat.

“This was a very fortunate outcome,” said Chief Petty Officer Kurt Tremont, Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound command duty officer. “This group did not have a radio or cell phone, but they smartly left a float plan. If they had a radio or a cell phone they likely would have been found much sooner. Due to the thick fog, our search crews were relying completely on radar and operating at reduced speeds. Fortunately they did file a float plan, and it probably saved their lives.”

(From Newsday.com)