North Carolina Team Saves the Day as Sailboat Drifts 100 Miles from Shore

A Coast Guard team rescued a trio of adults and a 15-year-old from a sinking sailing vessel off the coast of Cape Hatteras, North Carolina.

The passengers were recovered from a 41-foot sailboat, the Rojodan, after they hailed the Coast Guard Sector North Carolina on the evening of November 30. The crew of the boat reported the loss of both their engines and jib, leaving their vessel stranded nearly 100 miles from shore. The Guard was unable to tow the vessel under the conditions at the time, with gusts up to 40 knots and swells up to 8 feet. With night quickly falling, the local Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City was tapped to make an MH-60 Jayhawk flight to pull the stranded mariners from the swamped and waterlogged vessel before it slipped beyond the waves.

"These mariners were sailing prepared with a satellite phone which made way for a successful rescue," said Stephen Sawyer, Sector North Carolina command duty officer. "Vessels that travel over 20 miles offshore should ensure they have an alternate method of communication equipment beyond a VHF radio, such as an HF radio or satellite phone."

After their rescue, the passengers were transported to Elizabeth City before they were passed to a local hotel. The whereabouts of the boat remain unclear. 

FMI: www.uscg.mil