PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The Coast Guard rescued two people clinging to the hull of a capsized 14-foot sailboat in the York River near Yorktown Wednesday.
Lt. Anthony Baird, an off-duty Coast Guard member from Coast Guard Sector San Diego in San Diego, Calif., attending a search and rescue school in Yorktown, contacted Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads watchstanders at approximately 7:30 p.m. reporting that he saw a capsized sailboat while riding his bicycle along the York River.
Watchstanders diverted a crew aboard a 25-foot Response Boat – Small from Coast Guard Station Milford Haven in Hudgins to the scene as Baird assisted the RB-S crew in locating the sailboat.
The RB-S crew removed the two people clinging to the hull of their sailboat from the water and transferred them to Wormley Creek Marina in Yorktown in good condition.
“As a Coast Guard member seeing someone in distress, Baird took appropriate actions to get the people in the water the assistance they needed,” said Jeff Fox, a search and rescue controller at Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads here. “In this situation, both people were wearing life jackets, which always improves the chances of survival.”
