Three people were rescued by a Bridgeport-Port Jeff ferry captain Tuesday after their boat capsized.

The boat was leaving from the Bridgeport Harbor when the captain answered the distress call. The captain says it took 12 minutes to locate the victims clinging to the capsized boat. He used the 300-foot long ferry to block the wind and waves. A rescue boat was lowered and the victims were pulled to safety.

The Coast Guard later pulled the capsized boat from the water. The captain says the victims were lucky he got the distress call because hypothermia was beginning to set in. The head of the Bridgeport-Port Jeff ferry says all ferry personal are trained for rescues.