VIRGINIA BEACH, Va. – The Coast Guard, Virginia Beach Fire Department and Virginia Marine Police helped two people whose boat was sinking approximately five miles off Virginia Beach.
Watchstanders received a phone call from two distressed boaters Sunday morning, stating their boat was taking on water five miles away from the Chesapeake Bay Bridge Tunnel.
Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads watchstanders launched a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium (RBM) boat crew from Coast Guard Station Little Creek at around 9:20 a.m. They also sent out a MH-60 Jayhawk Helicopter crew for Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina at around 9:40 a.m.
The RBM and helicopter arrived at 10 a.m. The two boaters were transferred to the RBM just before 10:30 a.m. Both boaters were wearing life jackets.
The vessel was towed to Cutty Sark Marina.
“The support of local agencies is great,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Brandon Castellow, the coxswain of the RBM crew. “In this case, the Army Corps of Engineers helped us by relaying the vessel’s position to us when the vessel’s electronics went out. Because of them, we didn’t have to search at all – we just went straight to the vessel.”
