Coasties Rescuing Man From Damaged Vessel
The image above is a stock photo from the Coast Guard of one of Sector Humboldt Bay’s MH-65 Dolphin helicopters. [Image captured during a training evolution March 7, 2018]
The U.S. Coast Guard deployed an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter to airlift the captain from the vessel. Communication has been maintained via radio. Despite a brief loss of contact at 3:00 p.m., the Coast Guard successfully re-established communication and confirmed that the operator, a U.S. citizen and military veteran, is prepared for the rescue.
At 2:30 p.m., the operator was instructed to mark the vessel with spray paint CGOK and to ensure it is lit for navigational hazard identification. This will allow anyone who encounters the vessel to realize that the crew has voluntarily left the ship and not been swept overboard, etc. The captain of the vessel was also advised to don a wetsuit and prepare for hoisting when the helicopter arrives.
Petty Officer Schnabel told us that a C27 Spartan, a fixed winged platform plane, was also dispatched from Sacramento to aid in the rescue of the mariner.
As of 5 p.m., the Coast Guard helicopter is expected to reach the vessel soon. The situation remains fluid, and we’ll update as we receive more information.
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“The situation remains fluid.” Hah!
Seriously, I hope the rescue goes swimmingly and the sailor is okay.
Those folks are indeed badass. Sure, it’s a First World problem, but if you needed to be out there, you would be really glad these people can do what they do. And I will not likely ever do things to need their services, but I am glad they are there. The North Coast is not a placid marine environment, and boat traffic matters here, a lot.
And they risk their lives trying to save others’.
Thank you CG for putting your lives at risk. Thank you for your courage & service
Kym or anyone else here, can let me know if it os standard procedure to state that someone being rescued by the CG is a US Citizen?
Some Veterans are known not to be US Citizens & are also known for being deported after serving for the US.
As a non-Veteran-Naturalized US Citizen, I thought the Press Release’s choice of words curious/interesting.
Are you worried about being deported?
This isn’t a press release. This is my wording based on the information given me from the radio. I imagine they asked because the boat is 90 miles out.
Thank you for doing what you do!
Must be more to the story than a damaged propeller? It’s a sailboat! How long is the sailboat? Was it sinking? Was it de-masted?
Let’s throw in the question of how many people were on board when it was embarked.
Free boat for salvage! First person to board the vessel will own the vessel salvage rights.
Done deal! How long does it take to swim ninety miles?
terimakasih infonya mantap
What happened to the sails, it’s a sailboat, right.
Just winging it here, but the skipper may have been transporting it from somewhere to somewhere else and was under power (is it his boat or was he delivering it to someone else? Someone I know does exactly that for a living). Maybe it was too crappy to be under sail or it took more than one person to handle the sails?
That’s all simply conjecture, mind you. I’m curious how his prop got damaged.
Our men and women of the Coast Guard are always ready to rescue a stranger in distress. He is following all the rules that they instructed him to do. Spraying the boat with CGOK is something I have never heard of. It indicates that the boat is a waterway hazard and there is no one on board. He will breathe a little easier when he hears their chopper closing in on his location. They have saved countless lives over the years, and I am really proud of each and every one of them. We are blessed to have them so close to home.