LI Fishermen Rescued

John Mitty Wednesday, October 9, 2013

Paul Salentino and John Rose, two Long Island residents, are lucky to be alive.  They departed the East Islip Marina on Sunday at 1:30 pm to go on a fishing excursion—but they didn’t make it back till the next day.  The two were boating in the Great South Bay when their 14 foot motorized vessel capsized in the Oak Island Channel.  They lost their wallets and cell phones, and were forced to swim for 45 minutes blindly through the fog.  At that point, they chanced across a marshy island to the west of Captree Island. 

Nobody knew that they were missing except for Mary Buddenhagen, Salentino’s mother.  When she was unable to get hold of them, she went to the marina.  After they failed to show, she called 911.  Even then, police would not have known where to search for them, but thankfully, the waves didn’t wash away Salentino’s cigarette lighter.  The lighter enabled the two men to create a bonfire, sending a visual signal through the fog to Suffolk marine police.  Police spotted the fire around sunrise, after the weather cleared up a bit, producing better visibility.  They located the men on the remote island and were able to save their lives.  

jmitty@longislandyellowpages.com

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