CHARLESTON, S.C. — The Coast Guard is responding to two distressed mariners, Monday night, located approximately 140 miles southeast of Charleston, South Carolina.
Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Charleston command center were notified of the situation via marine radio, VHF-FM Channel 16 at approximately 8:12 p.m. The mariners stated their 38-foot sailing vessel, the Sea Heather, was beset by weather and were too exhausted to continue sailing. The mariners, a 35-year-old male and a 35-year-old female, reported no injuries or medical concerns.
A crew aboard an HC-130 Hercules aircraft from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina, was launched to respond at 8:54 p.m. The Hercules crew got on scene with the vessel at 10:12 p.m., to establish communications.
The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Tarpon, an 87-foot Marine Protector-Class patrol boat, was launched to respond at approximately 9:03 p.m. At their present speed, the Tarpon crew is scheduled to rendezvous with the Sea Heather at 7:30 a.m., Tuesday. Once they arrive, they plan to disembark the distressed mariners from the sailing vessel.
The crew of the commercial tug boat OSG Horizon is on scene with the distressed vessel to monitor their situation until the Tarpon crew arrives.
The OSG Horizon is a ship registered with the Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue System. AMVER is a computer-based voluntary global ship reporting system used worldwide by search and rescue authorities to arrange for assistance to persons in distress at sea.
