30-foot Sailboat, Fiona, Runs Aground Coast Guard Rescues Four

MH-65 Dolphin helicopter. USCG photo

 Coast Guard rescues 4 from disabled boat off Atlantic City, NJ

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. — The Coast Guard rescued four people from a sailboat at about 4 a.m., Tuesday,  approximately one mile off Little Egg Inlet.

Watchstanders from Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay received notification from boaters aboard the 30-foot sailboat, Fiona, that they were taking on water about five miles northeast of Atlantic City.

A 25-foot Response Boat crew from Coast Guard Station Atlantic City and an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City responded to the distress.

To help find the Fiona, the Coast Guard requested the operator to shoot off a flare to help get the exact location of the boat.

Once on scene, Petty Officer 3rd Class John Fallon, a Station Atlantic City crewmember, went aboard the Fiona, which apparently ran aground and had no rudder or engine power. The boat was not taking on water, but there was approximately eight inches of water in the bilge due to the waves breaking along the hull.

The RB-S crew transferred the four people back to the station where commercial salvage plans were discussed.

There is no pollution reported.

The Coast Guard strongly urges all boaters to equip their boats with life jackets, a VHF-FM radio and the appropriate navigational charts. VHF-radio is the best method of communication while on the water. Although cell phones are a good backup, they can be unreliable due to gaps in coverage and the inevitable dead battery.