Fire Island Coast Guard Rescues Father, Son and Their Dog After Boat Capsizes Near Fire Island Inlet

Fire Island Coast Guard crew members saved a father, his young son and their yellow lab, Pepper, on the morning of Oct. 6, when their boat capsized near the Fire Island Inlet off Cedar Beach.

Once they returned to land, the father and son were taken to nearby Good Samaritan Hospital in West Islip, and Pepper was taken home to safety by the man’s wife.

The Coast Guard arrived at the scene at 8:45am that morning to rescue 47-year-old Brian Blair and 9-year-old Nolan Blair, who was the only one wearing a life jacket. They were on a father-son fishing trip when rough waves near the inlet caused their boat to flip.

Brian was too shaken up by the incident to talk to the media, but Nolan told CBS New York “I thought I was going to die or like that it was the end,” adding, “I knew something bad was going to happen and then this wave came out of nowhere. My dog went flying off the boat and all I felt was water.”

The father and son held on tight to the boat for about 45 minutes before other boaters saw them and called the Coast Guard station. “We were holding on to the motor and when a wave comes … it would push us off the boat,” Nolan said.

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