Coast Guard tows stranded boat back to Montauk

A commercial fishing vessel has been rescued by the Coast Guard and is safely back in Montauk, having survived rough weather and high seas after it went "adrift and without power" on Friday.

After their 58-foot boat, the Endorphin, was moored about 9 Saturday night, three weary Montauk fishermen said they were ready for a hot shower and a glass of wine.

Crew member Christopher Fallon, 26, said on Friday -- which happened to be the 13th -- after eight days at sea, the commercial fishing boat's main engine started seizing up. The crew was headed back to port when the engine died and they lost their generator.

"We were floating around for about 24 hours without the generator, without lights, no heat," he said.

Luckily a nearby Good Samaritan boat kept them in contact with the Coast Guard, which dropped supplies, including food and a handheld radio.

The three men, exhausted by the trip but no worse for wear, said they're extremely grateful for the efforts of their friends and of the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard Cutter Tahoma out of Maine began towing the Endorphin after locating it 86 miles southeast of Montauk late Friday, the Coast Guard said. A rescue boat crew from the Coast Guard station in Montauk relieved the Tahoma before it reached the Montauk Inlet and brought it home.

Coast Guard Cmdr. Michael A. Hudson, Tahoma's commanding officer, said it was important to quickly begin towing the vessel to avoid the brunt of Saturday's storm, and the effort to get the Endorphin back to Montauk took less time than predicted.

Robert Fallon, 64, the boat's owner and Christopher's dad, said the Endorphin was built in 1983. He said that in November 2012 he'd had similar engine trouble, which left him and his crew stranded at sea for two days with no communications and no power. He'd had the engine repaired after that, he said.

He said he will have to rebuild the boat's engine this winter.

The trip wasn't a total loss, however, Robert Fallon said. The crew brought back 6,000 pounds of tilefish, which he compared to grouper fish.