PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The Coast Guard rescued two people clinging to the hull of a capsized 14-foot sailboat in the York River near Yorktown Wednesday.
Lt. Anthony Baird, an off-duty Coast Guard member attending a search and rescue school in Yorktown, contacted Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads watchstanders at approximately 7:30 p.m. reporting that he saw a capsized sailboat while riding his bicycle along the York River.
Watchstanders diverted a crew aboard a 25-foot boat from Coast Guard Station Milford Haven in Hudgins to the scene as Baird assisted the crew in locating the sailboat.
The crew removed the two people clinging to the hull of their sailboat from the water and transferred them to Wormley Creek Marina in Yorktown in good condition.
“As a Coast Guard member seeing someone in distress, Baird took appropriate actions to get the people in the water the assistance they needed,” said Jeff Fox, a search and rescue controller at Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads here. “In this situation, both people were wearing life jackets, which always improves the chances of survival.”
