The Coast Guard medevaced an injured 62-year-old man from his sailboat Thursday approximately 100 miles east of Kill Devil Hills.
Watchstanders at the Fifth Coast Guard District command center in Portsmouth, Virginia, received notification at approximately 8:30 p.m. Wednesday from the International Emergency Response Coordination Center, reporting they received a distress message from the sailboat Austina. The report stated the boat operator fell, injured his hip and was in need of medical assistance.
Watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast and directed the crew of the MCT Matterhorn to assist. The MCT Matterhorn is registered with the Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue System.
An HC-130 Hercules airplane crew and a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew, both from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, launched at 9:20 p.m. to assist. The Jayhawk crew was unable to hoist the man at the time due to inclement weather and returned to Air Station Elizabeth City.
The Hercules crew and the MCT Matterhorn crew remained on scene throughout the night to monitor the situation.
At approximately 7 a.m. Thursday, a second Jayhawk crew launched and medevaced the man. The man was taken to Air Station Elizabeth City where he was transferred to local EMS and taken to Sentara Albermarle Medical Center in Elizabeth City.