CHARLESTON, S.C. – A Coast Guard boatcrew rescued a man and a woman after their sailboat capsized in Charleston Harbor, Tuesday.
A small boat crew launched from Coast Guard Cutter Tarpon to bring two people back to the cutter after they were found adrift when their sailboat capsized , Sept. 23, 2014. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)
After leaving port at Coast Guard Sector Charleston, the crew of Coast Guard Cutter Tarpon, an 87-foot coastal patrol boat, spotted an overturned 14-foot sailboat with two people in the water. The crew launched the cutter’s smallboat and rescued the two people in four-foot seas and high winds.
“When the winds are gusting up to 30 miles per hour and there are whitecaps in the harbor, it’s an important reminder for mariners to always wear their life jackets,” said Lt. Cmdr. Derek Beatty, command duty officer for Sector Charleston. “If we had not had a cutter nearby, the result of this situation could have been very different. Life jackets save lives.”
For more pertinent information on life jackets, please visit the Coast Guard safe boating site. The Coast Guard also urges mariners to monitor National Weather Service Marine Forecasts before heading out on the water.
