Coast Guard Rescues Six From Sailboat off Cape May

The Coast Guard rescued five adults and one child from a 68-foot sailboat taking on water 25 miles offshore from Cape May early Thursday morning.

An emergency position-indicating radio beacon alerted Coast Guard watchstanders to the sailing vessel Irvmiren’s distress late Wednesday night.

A crewmember aboard Irvmiren used a VHF-FM radio to confirm the boat was taking on water in multiple locations around 10:46 p.m. Wednesday. 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 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,” Petty Officer 2nd Class Joseph Wise, an aviation maintenance technician aboard the rescue helicopter, said. “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 the dewatering attempt failed, the six people on board were
transferred onto the RB-M at approximately 2:30 a.m. and taken to the Coast Guard station in Cape May.

The crew aboard Irvmiren departed Fort Lauderdale, Florida, Friday en route to Nantucket, Massachusetts.