Questions abound after Westport, Conn., rowing club boats capsize in frigid waters of Long Island Sound
WESTPORT, Conn. -- There is much relief but also many questions following a frightening incident on the Long Island Sound.
More than 20 young people suffered mild to moderate hypothermia, after their rowing sculls capsized during bad weather on Wednesday night.
Damage was clearly visible on two of the rowing sculls. Each was carrying nine teenage boys and the third scull is somewhere in the Sound.
Everyone made it back to shore on Wednesday night after a frantic 911 call brought dozens of first responders to Compo Beach in Westport.
"Mayday! Mayday! We are on Long Island Sound, near Cockenoe Island, off of Compo. We need help!" a person said on the call.
In body camera video, a police officer can be heard counting the teenagers as they make it onto shore as they run across the beach to warm up.
Watch Tony Aiello's report
"It was a very unique situation and certainly could have been a tragic mass casualty incident," said Westport Fire Department Deputy Chief Nick Marsan.
It started at the private Saugatuck Rowing Club, where 27 teens on three sculls were followed out onto the water by two adults on a so-called "crash boat."
They headed right into the rough weather, which the CBS New York Weather Team forecasted on Wednesday afternoon.
Two dozen people ended up in the 44-degree water. One young man, who was wrapped up after being rescued, was unable to walk due to hypothermia and had to be carried.
Finn Nestor was among the rowers stuck in the water for at least 40 minutes.
"Our fingers and toes were completely numb, it was pretty scary," he said.
Nestor says conditions were clear when they launched.
"In minutes, these huge swells and winds started appearing, and they were, like, coming over the bow of the boat and just slowly filling up the boat with water," he said.
The Saugatuck Rowing Club, which has a good reputation, says it practices "thorough planning and adherence to safety protocols."
However, many wonder why rowers went onto the water, given the forecast.
"They were varsity rowers who have experience, but some of those questions are going to have to be answered as to why they were out there," Westport Police Lt. Eric Woods said.
There is relief that everyone who went into the cold water was recovered.
Nestor says the team met Thursday to talk it all out, and he believes it's teamwork that ultimately got them through.
"My coach was very composed. He kept us through it, he kept reassuring us we'd make it home," he said.
The Saugatuck Rowing Club said it will review safety procedures, with an eye on strengthening them. We're told a counselor will be there Friday to offer the students support.
The crash boat the two coaches were on also sank. A planned recovery effort on Thursday afternoon was called off, due to high winds and difficult conditions.