Windsurfer rescued in Peconic Bay

A windsurfer who became separated from his craft Friday in rough surf and high winds on the Peconic Bay was rescued after he was found "standing in the water on a shoal" off Robins Island, authorities said.

Southampton Town police received a 911 call at about 11:50 a.m. reporting a man missing from his windsurfer on the bay and drifting toward Shinnecock Canal, police said in a news release.

Multiple agencies, including Southampton Town police and bay constables, Southold Town police, a Suffolk County police department helicopter and the U.S. Coast Guard, responded.

The bay, with a water temperature of about 40 degrees, was "extremely rough," police said, with seas about 4 to 7 feet high and the wind blowing at about 25 mph, with gusts to 45 mph.

The helicopter found John A. Vanderwolf, 68, of Center Moriches, at 12:22 p.m., "wearing a wetsuit, standing in the water on a shoal on the northwest side of Robins Island," Southampton Town police said in a news release.

A boat piloted by bay constables picked up Vanderwolf, who was "assessed for hypothermia by Cutchogue Fire Department ambulance personnel and released," police said.