By Bill Mason
Newsday
ROCKAWAY BEACH, N.Y. — Two men, stranded on windsurf boards in rough Rockaway waters, were rescued by the combined efforts of city police and fire department units, police said yesterday.
Det. Brendan Galligan, a member of a police helicopter crew, said that when they landed with one of the rescued men Wednesday, “He was hugging us and kissing the ground.”
The men were in waters about 1,500 feet off Beach 105th Street about 2:40 p.m. when strong winds, rough waters and changing tides left them unable to get back to shore, officials said.
Firefighter Terry O’Donnell, a 16-year veteran assigned to nearby Ladder 137, used a board tethered to shore and, watched over by other firefighters, went out to get the men, officials said. A fire department boat and police helicopter also were dispatched to help.
Sgt. Michael Hendrix, the helicopter’s copilot, said at a news conference yesterday, “We train for this day in and day out ... When it’s the real thing, it’s an adrenaline rush.”
Galligan said that when they arrived one of the men was waving his hands, indicating distress. The helicopter got within a few feet of the water, and the divers went in, he said.
One of the men, identified later as Michael Welsh, about 35 years old, was put into the basket and brought up. Shivering, he was wrapped in blankets, police said. The other man, who was not identified, was helped into the fire department boat that arrived a short time later, and also brought to shore, officials said.
The men were tired and cold from their time in the water, police said, but apparently not seriously injured. They were looked over by EMS personnel when they reached shore, but declined further medical attention, police said.
While police described the men as windsurfers, fire department officials said they were using surf boards with parachutes, rather than the board and sail combination normally associated with windsurfing.
Whatever type of craft they were using, Hendrix said, “If you are going to use these devices, know that the water is treacherous out there ... For the year there have been 444 air-sea rescues, and we’re not done yet ... we’ll probably break 500.”
Adam Pincus and staff writer Rocco Parascandola contributed to this story.
Copyright 2007 Newsday, Inc.