Two Sailors Rescued Off Half Moon Bay

Two sailors were airlifted by the Coast Guard off their 37-ft sailboat yesterday almost 80 miles southwest of Half Moon Bay. "The two boaters aboard the sailboat Annie contacted the Garmin Emergency Operations Team through their GPS device, reporting their vessel was adrift after sustaining damage during multiple storms," a Coast Guard press release said. "They needed assistance and were experiencing rough weather and minor injuries."

The Coast Guard said that Garmin Emergency Operations contacted them at 7:15 a.m. yesterday, asking for help. A C-27 plane was dispatched to find the boat and assess the weather before a helicopter arrived and deployed their rescue swimmer. Not long after, the swimmer and two sailors were in the water, then hoisted aboard the helicopter.

"This case was my first as aircraft commander in San Francisco and was extremely challenging based on the complexity of being 77 miles offshore, the lack of communication with the sailboat and six- to 12-foot seas on scene," said Lt. Katherine Voth, the aircraft commander based at Air Station San Francisco who was onboard the helicopter. "We really appreciated having the C-27 from Air Station Sacramento on scene to provide weather and updated position reports and the coordination between Sector San Francisco and Air Station San Francisco watchstanders. This case was a Coast Guard team effort from start to finish that resulted in the rescue of two survivors." 

Like other recent offshore rescues, the vessel was apparently left adrift at sea.