Glad to hear that everyone made it back safely. I'm sure that it was a lesson well learned, and not soon forgotten.
As jrc suggested, it's always good to have a phone in a waterproof bag. Myself, I carry a phone, a whistle, a Storm Master horn, an air horn, and a strobe light. Both paddle blades also have SOLAS tape on them. If I need to get someone's attention, I'm
going to get it, one way or another.
Batteries die, cell service doesn't exist everywhere, and sometimes the phone itself ends up going for a swim. Better to have several means of signaling/communication handy.