CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — A 49-year-old man was rescued by the Coast Guard and Corpus Christi Harbor Patrol after his sailboat capsized in Corpus Christi Bay, Saturday evening.
The Coast Guard was called by a good Samaritan at 6:47 p.m., who witnessed a 13-foot Sunfish sailboat capsize in Corpus Christi Bay. Coast Guard and Harbor Patrol crews conducted an extensive search, initially finding only a child’s life preserver. At 7:50 p.m., a Harbor Patrol crew pulled the 49-year-old owner of the sailboat from the water. He confirmed he was the only person aboard the sailboat. He was not wearing a life jacket.
“Lifejackets do not do boaters any good when a boat capsizes unless they are wearing them,” said Lt. Cmdr. Kristi Bernstein, search and rescue mission coordinator of Coast Guard Sector Corpus Christi. “Please, wear your lifejacket. Although this person did have a lifejacket in the boat, he did not have enough time to put it on when his sailboat capsized unexpectedly. He was treading water for over an hour, and we are all grateful that a good Samaritan called when they did. I am very pleased with the responsiveness of our team to find him. Please, be safe this summer. Wear your life jacket.”
Coast Guard crews searched aboard a 45-foot Response Boat — Medium from Coast Guard Station Port Aransas and an MH-65 Dolphin rescue helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Corpus Christi. The sailboat was brought back to port, and the owner was released from Station Port Aransas with no medical concerns.
