PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The Coast Guard rescued two people as their disabled boat began taking on water in Metompkin Inlet near Wachapreague Tuesday.
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads received a call forwarded by Eastern Shore of Virginia 911 Dispatch at 10:47 a.m. stating a 15-foot skiff with two people aboard was disabled and taking on water in Metompkin Inlet.
Sector Hampton Roads issued an urgent marine information broadcast at 11:07 a.m. and launched a 24-foot Special Purpose Craft-Shallow Water crew from Coast Guard Station Wachapreague at 11:19 a.m. An MH-60T Jayhawk helicopter crew from Coast Guard Station Elizabeth City was already in flight in the area and changed course to the sinking boat at 11:18 a.m. Both the SPC-SW boat crew and the Jayhawk helicopter crew arrived on scene around 11:50 a.m.
Upon arriving, the Station Wachapreague crew transferred the two distressed boaters onto the SPC-SW. Both people were wearing life jackets.
The Jayhawk helicopter crew passed a dewatering pump to the SPC-SW crew, who then worked to dewater the sinking boat.
The SPC-SW crew towed the boat back to Station Wachapreague, arriving at 2:36 p.m.
No injuries were reported.
“The spirit of cooperation is how we accomplish things like this,” said Lt. Wryan Webb, a pilot of the Jayhawk crew. “If we have multiple units working together, we are able to give a more complete response during a mission.”