Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer Henry G. Dunphy
SAN DIEGO – A helicopter crew from Coast Guard Sector San Diego rescued a 71-year-old man experiencing diabetic seizures aboard a 40-foot sailboat 120 miles south of San Diego, Saturday evening.
At 3:45 p.m., the Coast Guard received a distress signal from a 406 megahertz Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon from a location 120 miles south of San Diego.
The Coast Guard coordinated with Mexico’s Navy to enter Mexican territory to search for possible distress. An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter launched from Sector San Diego and a C-130 Hercules plane launched from Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento to search the area indicated by the beacon.
The Mexican Navy also dispatched a motor life boat to assist.
The Coast Guard called the emergency contact of the registered owner of the EPIRB and determined that the boat was underway in Mexican waters with five people aboard, and the owner had a history of diabetes.
The helicopter and plane arrived crews arrived on scene at approximately 5:45 p.m.
The helicopter crew hoisted the man from the boat and transported him to San Diego, where he was transferred to emergency medical personnel.
