Coast Guard Helicopter Crews Rescue 5 People From Sinking Sailboat 120 Miles Off Monterey
ALAMEDA (CBS SF) -- Five people on a sinking sailboat off more than 100 miles from the Monterey coast were rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter crew.
The Coast Guard said it received a distress signal from a person about the 65-foot sailing vessel Flyin' Hawaiian about 120 miles off the coast about 8:00 a.m. Saturday. A C17 transport plane was able to identify the vessel in the vicinity of the alert location and that it was taking on water.
Raw Video: Coast Guard Helicopter Rescue
The Coast Guard also said it contacted a nearby tanker ship to divert itself to the location to help block seas and wind from the disabled sailboat as two helicopter crews to pluck the five people from the sinking vessel.
One rescue crew was dispatched from Coast Guard Air Station San Francisco, next to San Francisco International Airport, and another crew from Los Angeles.
There were no injuries reported.