Training, timing and maybe a bit of luck all seem to play into the following account of a Coast Guard rescue at sea. Assuming there is not more than one luxury yacht named Irvmiren at 68 feet, all of her emergency equipment would be in good working order. One can only wonder what caused her to take on water in multiple locations? Did she hit a shipping container in the open ocean in the middle of the night? Thankfully no one was lost.
The back story is the crew from Station Cape May that are truly to be commended for executing this successful operation even if not a happy ending for the owner of the boat.
Details provided by the Coast Guard:
The Coast Guard rescued five adults and one child Thursday from a 68-foot sailboat taking on water 25 miles offshore from Cape May, New Jersey.
An emergency position-indicating radio beacon alerted Coast Guard watchstanders to the sailing vessel Irvmiren’s distress at approximately 10:46 p.m. Wednesday.
A crewmember aboard Irvmiren used a VHF-FM radio to confirm the boat was taking on water in multiple locations. He also reported there was a life raft aboard, and each person was wearing a life jacket.
An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City, New Jersey, and a 45-foot Response Boat — Medium crew from Coast Guard Station Cape May responded to the distress.
“The sailing vessel looked very low in the water as we got on scene,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Joseph Wise, an aviation maintenance technician aboard the rescue helicopter. “The swells were eight to 10 feet with swells breaking over the side of the Irvmiren, so the boat and mast were rocking all over the place.”
Petty Officer 2nd Class Cory Osborne, the rescue swimmer aboard the helicopter, was lowered down to the Irvmiren. A dewatering pump was lowered from the helicopter to the deck of the RB-M and transferred onto the Irvmiren.
After unsuccessful dewatering, the six people aboard Irvmien were transferred onto the RB-M at approximately 2:30 a.m. Thursday and taken to the Coast Guard station in Cape May.
The crew aboard Irvmiren departed Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Friday en route to Nantucket, Massachusetts.
Thank God this happened off the coast of Cape May where Coast Guard life support was tremendous.