CHINCOTEAGUE, Va. - A mariner is safe after getting rescued from a burning sailboat Thursday night. The Coast Guard says the 45-foot vessel was on fire nearly 60 miles east of Chincoteague.
The Fifth Coast Guard District Command Center says it received a 406-megahertz Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB)Â at approximately 8:30 p.m. In response, an HC-130 Hercules airplane and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City were launched. An Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue alert was issued.
The Hercules crew arrived on scene at 10:10 p.m. and spotted a dinghy with a person aboard, near the burning vessel. The helicopter crew arrived at 10:50 p.m. and safely hoisted a 58-year-old man from the life raft. The Coast Guard says the man had no reported major injuries, but he was flown to a hospital for further medical evaluation.
"Due to this mariner’s diligence to have an EPIRB on board his vessel, rescue crews were alerted to his distress and arrived in a timely manner," says Lt. j.g. Erin Bellen, search and rescue operations unit controller with the Fifth Coast Guard District. "This mariner also had filed a float plan with a family member, which the Coast Guard always recommends, even for short day trips. He also had an immersion suit, which he had put on prior to getting in the dinghy. All these actions and planning for a maritime emergency helped save his life."