REHOBOTH BEACH, Del. ─ The Coast Guard medevaced a 54-year-old man from a 64-foot boat about 75 miles off shore here Thursday.
At about 5:30 a.m., Coast Guard watchstanders received notification, via VHF-FM radio, that a man aboard the sport fishing boat Tracey Anne, homeported in Brielle, N.J., was ill and needed immediate medical attention.
An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, N.J., hoisted the man from the boat and transported him to the Atlanticare Regional Medical Center, in Atlantic City, where his care was transferred to hospital personnel.
“Having a VHF-FM, or High frequency radio on board your vessel is the best way to hail for help during an at-sea emergency. In this case, the boat was too far offshore to rely on a cell phone, and using the radio greatly aided in getting this man the medical attention he needed,” said Lt. Neal Corbin, a pilot from the air station. “Never rely on a cell phone as your only means of communication on the water.”
