SANTA BARBARA, Calif – Early this morning the Coast Guard responded to a vessel in distress off of Goleta Beach. At approximately 4:00 a.m. the sailing vessel Patience radioed the Coast Guard advising that the vessel was taking on water.
A Coast Guard HH-65C rescue helicopter from Air Station Los Angeles was dispatched to the scene. In addition, one 47-foot response boat from Coast Guard Station Channel Islands responded.
The sailing vessel was anchored 200 yards off the shore of Goleta Beach when they radioed in for help. Once on scene Coast Guard rescuers observed the vessel’s bilge pumps were operating and keeping up with the incoming water. The helicopter stayed on scene until the 47-foot response boat arrived on scene. The response boat fro Station Channel Islands took the vessel into tow and safely transited into Santa Barbara Harbor.
In addition to carrying the required safety items and wearing life jackets, the Coast Guard recommends boaters equip their vessels with GPS, a marine band VHF radio, and 406 MHz Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB). The Coast Guard would also like to remind boaters that after February 1, 2009, analog 121.5/243 MHz beacons will no longer be monitored by satellites and boaters need to replace them with digital 406 MHz beacons.
For more information about the digital switch visit http://www.cospas-sarsat.org/firstpage/121.5phaseout.htm.
The U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary offers boating education classes and free Vessel Safety Checks. For more information visit www.cgaux.org or www.safetyseal.net .
