Coast Guard Cutter Alder file photo
CLEVELAND — The crew of a Coast Guard Cutter Alder small boat rescued three people early Monday evening when the crew witnessed a 15-foot sailboat capsize in Duluth Harbor.
No injuries were reported.
At around 6 p.m., CDT, the crew onboard the Alder’s small boat was underway for line-handling drills near the Duluth lift bridge when they witnessed the sailboat capsize in the harbor about a mile from their location.
When the Alder’s crew arrived on scene, they rescued the three people from atop the overturned sailboat to the Coast Guard boat and transferred them to a Coast Guard Station Duluth boat when it arrived on scene.
“The cutter fleet diligently trains to fulfill the Coast Guard’s motto ‘Semper Paratus, Always Ready’,” said Cmdr. Anthony Maffia, the chief of the Coast Guard Ninth District Waterways Management branch. “Every year each cutter completes over 200 drills of various scenarios to ensure they remain proficient in their duties and are always ready to answer any call.”
The three boaters relayed that they had been in the water for less than five minutes. The water temperature was reported to be in the mid-30s at the time of the incident.
The sailboat was righted by the Station Duluth crew and towed to a local marina.
