Two distress calls on opposites coasts led to the rescue of five recreational boaters and two dogs.
Off Hawaii, the Coast Guard rescued three people and a dog from a life raft off Oahu’s North Shore on Sunday.
An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point arrived on scene 41 miles northeast of Oahu’s North Shore and hoisted the three people and their dog safely into the helicopter before returning to Air Station Barbers Point.
“Our crews train regularly to conduct just this kind of rescue and these mariners helped themselves by being prepared with a life raft and life jackets,” said Lt. Patrick Frain of Sector Honolulu.
Off the U.S. east coast, the Coast Guard and the local police department rescued two people and their dog Sunday after their sailing vessel caught fire approximately three miles east of Ocean City, N.J.
A 25-foot Response Boat-Small (RBS) crew from Coast Guard Station Atlantic City rescued the two people and their dog from their dinghy after they abandoned the sailing vessel.
“The owner’s understanding of emergency procedures allowed for quick Coast Guard response,” said Petty Officer 1st Class Neena Santiago, an operations specialist at the Sector Delaware Bay command center. “His vessel was equipped with a VHF marine radio, life jackets and a dinghy — all crucial to the safety of the people aboard and their dog.”
