SAN FRANCISCO — Two people were rescued after their sailboat capsized during the 11th annual Doublehanded Farallones Race held yesterday.
At 8:23 p.m., the Coast Guard received a call for help over the radio from the crew of the sailing vessel Heat Wave. The Heat Wave, a 27-foot sailboat, capsized eight miles off the shore of the San Francisco Bay with two people aboard. Both crewmembers were wearing lifejackets when they entered the water.
One of the sailors was picked up by a 47-foot rescue boat from Station Golden Gate and the other was picked up by the Pilot Boat California. Both were rescued at approximately 9:20 p.m. A rescue helicopter from Air Station San Francisco also assisted in the search and rescue operation.
The sailors were treated for hypothermia and transferred to awaiting emergency medical services at Coast Guard Station Golden Gate near the Marin headlands.
The wearing of lifejackets and carrying a handheld VHF radio helped save these two sailors lives and the Coast Guard reminds all boaters the importance of safe boating practices. All boaters are encouraged to have lifejackets for every person aboard a boat and to also carry immersion suits, day and night flares, and handheld VHF radios.
The Doublehanded Farallones Race starts near the Golden Gate Yacht Club and goes out and around the Southeast Farallone Island and back to the starting line, an approximate distance of 58 miles.
