RANGELEY — Life jackets and the work of a dozen rescuers saved the lives of two young men after their canoe overturned in Rangeley Lake late Tuesday afternoon, officials said.

Richard MacKenna, 25, of Wells and Ian Efsathiou, 24, of Ogunquit set out in a 16-foot fiberglass canoe in calm water, Game Warden Scott Stevens said.

As the afternoon wore on, the wind came up without warning, causing waves to overturn the craft, fire Chief Rudy Davis said Wednesday. The two were staying at a relative’s camp on Bonney Point, he said.

Shortly after 4:30 p.m. Tuesday, Rangeley Fire and Rescue received a call from a person on Route 17 in Oquossoc saying there were people in the water, their canoe was sinking and they were yelling for help.

The men were in the 45-degree water for about 45 minutes, Davis said. They could hardly use their hands as hypothermia started to set in, he said.

“If they had been in the water much longer, it would have been a different outcome,” he said.

Although waves had separated them from the canoe and each other, they survived because they were wearing life jackets, Davis said.

Both men were checked by NorthStar personnel and were returned to the camp, he said. The canoe was recovered.

He said the men were also fortunate that they were heard because there’s nothing on the lake at this time of year and many camp owners have gone home.

Overall, the rescue went smoothly as the department launched its rescue boat and borrowed another owned by the marina nearby, Davis said.

“We all work together here. From the time we got the call to the time they were picked up was only about 20 minutes,” he said.

The Maine Warden Service also responded.

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