Divers have recovered the body of a boater who fell overboard when a high-performance catamaran crashed into the side of his motor yacht off Long Island's southern coast early Saturday.
After searching the waters of the Great South Bay throughout the day, divers found Christopher Mannino, 39, who had been flung from his 38-foot vessel when it was struck by a 25-foot speedboat.
Suffolk County police said the man piloting the speedboat was charged with boating while intoxicated. He is currently hospitalized for injuries suffered in the crash and was issued a field appearance ticket for a later date.
The Coast Guard said the crash took place around 4:50 a.m., about a half hour before sunrise, just west of the Robert Moses causeway near West Islip.
Authorities said the smaller vessel capsized after striking the craft Mannino was on with five others. Its pilot and passenger were thrown into the water.
Mannino was on a sport fishing yacht made in 1967 that was badly damaged and began to sink. He fell overboard. The other four on the boat were uninjured.
Suffolk police said they were investigating how fast the speedboat was traveling before the wreck. Some models of the craft are capable of speeds exceeding 100 mph.
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