East Hampton launches new patrol vessel for rescues, rough seas

East Hampton's 31-foot marine patrol vessel glided through Gardiners Bay at 40 knots on a recent summer afternoon, ready to monitor nearly 70 miles of shoreline.

Joe Vish, an 11-year veteran of East Hampton Town's Marine Patrol, sat at the helm of the department's newest vessel. Compared with the nearly 40-year-old boat it replaced, the new boat was a "night and day" difference, Vish, an East Hampton harbor master, said. The successor — East Hampton Marine 1 — has a superior design and layout and handles better in rough seas. 

The boat also features forward-looking infrared radar to aid in night rescues. Its layout provides more room for passengers, and the enclosed cabin contains windows with 360-degree views, officials said.

"The way that this boat’s hull is designed, it’s leap years ahead," Vish said.

Town officials are now operating a custom-made, $476,000 boat they say will enhance their maritime resources. Used for search-and-rescue operations as well as routine patrols, the Life Proof-designed boat adds new capabilities, officials said. It launched in July.

In a typical year, marine patrols respond to more than 1,000 calls that can vary from disabled vessels and distressed swimmers to illegal clamming. In 2023, the marine patrol conducted nine search-and-rescue operations, according to the department's most recent annual report.

"In times of emergency, every second counts, and this boat will significantly enhance our ability to respond quickly and effectively," Supervisor Kathee Burke-Gonzalez said in a statement.

Stabilizing collar

The vessel's collar — a foam-filled flotation device that encircles the boat — was a key selling point, said Tim Treadwell, East Hampton's senior harbor master. It allows the boat to easily come alongside another vessel and helps to stabilize the vessel in rough conditions.

The boat, like its predecessor, is also named for Sgt. Ryan P. Lynch, an East Hampton police officer who died from cancer in 2005.

The boat's arrival in early July came nearly a year after the town board voted to authorize its purchase from Inventech Marine Solutions, the company that manufactures Life Proof Boats.

The town used $200,000 from the American Rescue Plan Act, a federal bill designed to help offset the economic impact of the COVID-19 pandemic. The town borrowed to pay for the rest.

The newest vessel docks along Three Mile Harbor where marine patrol keeps a second, smaller boat. The department also has a station in Montauk, where its largest vessel, a 42-foot aluminum boat, is docked.

The department works closely with neighboring law enforcement agencies, the U.S. Coast Guard and East Hampton Volunteer Ocean Rescue, which responds to rescue calls for distressed swimmers.

Treadwell said officials have responded to seven search-and-rescue calls in the new boat's first month of operation.

In a recent incident, marine officers rescued two people stranded at night in Gardiners Bay on a small paddle craft.

'Christmas morning' experience

In neighboring Southampton Town, the police department's marine patrol deploys up to eight boats to respond to rescues in the ocean, bays and shallow waters. The department most recently acquired a 25-foot Silver Ship in 2016 to use in Shinnecock Bay and the Atlantic Ocean, according to Richard Franks, the department's senior marine patrol officer. 

In 2017, Silver Ships delivered a 38-foot fire boat to Montauk as part of a collaboration that included the Montauk Fire Department, East Hampton Town and the U.S. Department of Homeland Security.

To narrow down the type of boat the harbor masters wanted, Treadwell said they consulted with law enforcement agencies.

Treadwell and fellow harbor master Jason Charron traveled to Seattle where Life Proof is based and took part in a "sea trial."

In the choppy waves off the coast of Bremerton, Washington, the new boat easily handled speeds of more than 30 knots, Treadwell recalled.

In that moment, he knew the vessel was right for East Hampton.

"That was the Christmas morning experience," he said.

By Joe Werkmeister

joe.werkmeister@newsday.com

Joe Werkmeister covers the towns of Southampton, East Hampton and Shelter Island. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and previously worked as the editor of two North Fork community newspapers.

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