A group of young adults gone boating longer than expected became the subject of a brief search effort Thursday night before they returned unharmed in the boat to the town landing in Wiscasset, Wiscasset Fire Chief T.J. Merry said.

One member of the group had told his father that they’d be gone for minutes in the Lund motor boat, but they were gone for hours, Merry said.

The Wiscasset and Westport fire departments were called out at about 10 p.m. July 30 to help in the search, Merry said. The Maine Marine Patrol, the U.S. Coast Guard, Wiscasset Police Department and Wiscasset Ambulance Service also responded, he said.

Before Wiscasset firefighters set out in the harbor master’s boat, the missing group and boat returned to the town landing; that was about 20 minutes after they were reported missing, Merry said.

On Friday, Wiscasset Police Sgt. Kathy Williams identified the boaters as Emma Corwin, 21, and Megan Dodge, 23, both of Woolwich; and Michael Burns, 32, and Lawrence St. Larant, 18, both of Richmond.