Coast Guard Rescues 2 From Capsized Boat Off Atlantic City

ATLANTIC CITY, NJ — The Coast Guard rescued a man and woman Wednesday night after their boat capsized about 65 miles east of Atlantic City. The mariners had been sailing around the world for the past few years and were on the last leg of their trip from the Bahamas to New York City.

The Coast Guard was notified of the vessel's distress after receiving an alert from the crew's Electronic Position Indicating Radio Beacon. The vessel was outside VHF radio and cell-reception range. So watchstanders directed a helicopter crew and airplane crew to the sailboat.

“When our helicopter arrived on-scene, the crew followed a blinking strobe light and discovered a man and a woman clinging to the hull of their capsized sailboat," said Lt. Tyler Bittner, the operations duty officer in Atlantic City.

Officials hoisted the man and woman onto the helicopter and took them to Atlantic City, where EMS awaited. Coast Guard officials remained on scene to mark the sailboat and attempt to recover the EPIRB.

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"This was an extremely challenging hoist due to on-scene conditions, but the entire crew came together to work as a team to get the job done," said Lt. Anthony Monteforte, one of the helicopter pilots on the case.

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