WESTPORT — A Westport police officer commandeered a rowboat to rescue three hunters whose boat had capsized in South Watuppa Pond recently.

A caller from 259 Tickle Road alerted Westport Police at 6:32 a.m. on Saturday, Oct. 24, that three men were in the middle of the pond clinging to their capsized boat and yelling for help.

Several officers along with the Westport Fire Department and its water rescue team rushed to the water’s edge.

Since it would take several minutes for the fire department to launch its rescue boat on the far side of the pond, Sgt. Gary Cambra decided to make use of the only boat available, a small boat equipped with oars or paddles, Detective Jeff Majewski said.

Sgt. Cambra and the boat’s owner, David Pryor, steered the boat out to the capsized boat and, using a 75-foot throw rope kept in all patrol cars, towed the boat back a couple of hundred yards toward shore as the three hunters held on. All made it ashore safely, were checked out at the hospital and released.

The men said they had been in the water for about an hour before help arrived.