Couple rescued from sailing vessel Saturday

Coast Guard airlifts couple to safety after they encountered heavy seas

A husband and wife were rescued by the Coast Guard Saturday after their sailing vessel encountered rough seas 180 miles off the coast of Grays Harbor.

An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew from Coast Guard Sector Columbia River tracked the sailing vessel’s electronic position indicating radio beacon and safely hoisted the couple off their boat before transporting them to the sector’s base in Warrenton, Ore., according to a Coast Guard release.

The Coast Guard District 13 Command Center in Seattle received an alert at 5:46 a.m. from the 46-foot sailing vessel Kelaerin. The sailors were reportedly sailing between Hawaii and Bellingham when they ran into rough weather and seas.

The helicopter aircrew and a crew aboard a C-27 Spartan aircraft from Air Station Sacramento were launched to assist. The helicopter crew arrived on scene at 9:33 a.m. and lowered a rescue swimmer to assess the situation. The sailing vessel wasn’t actively taking on water but seawater had washed aboard. The aircrew conducted the hoist at the request of the vessel owners because of health concerns.

The rescue helicopter landed at Sector Columbia River at 11:50 a.m. where emergency medical personnel were waiting to treat the couple for symptoms related to hypothermia.

A marine information broadcast was sent out to notify vessel traffic of the adrift sailing vessel. The attempted salvage of the vessel will be at the owners’ discretion.