Boater rescued from Long Island Sound

New Haven, Conn. (WTNH) - An early morning rescue call for the Coast Guard today as they rescued a boater who reported having chest pains.

The unidentified boater was taken to the hospital to be examined and treated.

The man was out in the middle of Long Island Sound in the rainy, windy weather when he got into trouble. He used his cell phone to report he was having chest pains and he feared his 24 foot sailboat was taking on water.

A rescue boat from the Coast Guard station in New Haven headed out into the rough water to find the boat. And it was rough, with four-foot seas and a 20-knot wind.

"We had a little bit of trouble with the signal," U.S. Coast Guard Petty Officer Sean Homan said. "The original position we had wasn't exactly where he ended up being. With the way the winds and the waves were acting he was actually closer to the station."

The Coast Guard anchored the boat and brought the man back to shore, where he was taken by ambulance to the hospital.

After the first priority of rescuing the man, then they went back to rescue his boat. The current and wind had carried it even further, but after the sun came up, they tracked it down and towed the sailboat "Freedom" into a marina in Branford.

"It's not every day we get to go out and do this, but we are trained to do it, so when we get the call, we expect to come home every time, just like we did tonight." Petty Officer Homan said.

The boater was attempting to travel from Greenport, Long Island, to another destination on Long Island, and wasn't planning to be in Connecticut. His boat remains anchored and he will have to arrange for a commercial tow.