CLEVELAND – Crewmembers from U.S. Coast Guard Station Oswego, N.Y., rescued four people after six small sailboats overturned, sending 11 people into the water, during a sailing club event near Oswego Harbor, at about 10:45 a.m., August 26, 2010.
Five people were rescued by Good Samaritans aboard the research vessel Kaho, and two people washed safely ashore.
All eleven people, two adults and nine children, were wearing lifejackets and no injuries were reported.
Station Oswego launched a crew aboard a 25-foot Response Boat-Small (RB-S) after receiving a mayday call over VHF-FM Channel 16 at about 10:25 a.m.
The Coast Guard recommends that all people recreating on the water wear a lifejacket at all times.
All mariners are encouraged to invest in a VHF-FM marine-band radio as their primary means of communication on the water. VHF-FM marine-band radios are far more reliable than cells phones in the marine environment. VHF-FM Channel 16, the international hailing and distress channel, is monitored by the Coast Guard and state marine patrols around the clock. In addition, distress calls broadcast over VHF-FM Channel 16 will be heard by all mariners in the vicinity. Urgent safety information and weather reports for boaters are also broadcast over marine band radio channels.
