Good boating safety practices were a huge factor in the rescue of two distressed boaters today as a boat crew from Coast Guard Station New Haven pulled a man from the water and a woman and her dog from their vessel, which had run aground off the coast of Connecticut.
At 11:20 a.m. on Tuesday, Coast Guard Sector Long Island Sound Command Center received a Mayday call over marine radio channels. The caller reported that her husband had fallen overboard from their 35-foot sailboat and that the rescue line she had thrown to him had become entangled in the vessel’s propeller, rendering it dead in the water. The vessel ran aground on Outer Island, a part of the Thimble Islands, according to the Coast Guard.
The wife told the New Haven Register that her husband had fallen into the water while putting on sail ties because of strong winds.
She said the couple was sailing home to Virginia after a trip to Nova Scotia, Canada. Both were wearing life jackets at the time of the accident.
“The level of preparedness and quick response by the mariners allowed the Coast Guard enough time to respond,” said Lt. Jason Schaumburg, Command Duty Officer, Sector Long Island Sound. “They were clearly aware of what to do in a ‘man over board’ situation and executed it calmly and quickly. They broadcasted ‘Mayday’ immediately and were able to report a clear and accurate position. Most importantly, both were wearing life preservers.”
