TOPSAIL BEACH, N.C. – Good Samaritans aboard the Eli Mar, a 28-foot Down East, rescued two people from a sinking sailboat in the vicinity of New Topsail Inlet Saturday morning.
At 4:50 A.M. a crewmember aboard a 25-foot sailboat made a mayday call on their VHF radio and reported they had broken off the keel after running aground on a sandbar and were taking on water.
Sector North Carolina Command Center watchstanders immediately issued an urgent marine information broadcast UMIB. The Good Samaritans heard the UMIB and recovered both people on board from the sailboat in distress.
Station Wrightsville Beach launched a 47-foot rescue boat to the scene, picked up the two people and returned to Wrightsville Beach.
The sailboat sank approximately 300 yards off the beach, just north of New Topsail Inlet.
The owner will be arranging for commercial salvage of the sailing vessel.
