The Coast Guard rescued two people Sunday from a sinking boat approximately 35 miles southeast of Ocean Isle Beach.
Watchstanders at the Coast Guard 5th District Command Center in Portsmouth, Virginia, received an alert at approximately 1 p.m. Sunday from an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon registered to the 25-foot pleasure craft Quest, which is homeported in Ocean Isle Beach.
Command center personnel issued an urgent marine information broadcast and contacted watchstanders at Shaw Air Force Base. Air Force personnel contacted the South Carolina Air National Guard's 169th Fighter Wing who confirmed the location of the vessel with the help of F-16s conducting training offshore.
The Coast Guard launched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Elizabeth City and a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat crew from Station Oak Island.
The helicopter crew arrived on scene at about 3:15 p.m. and found two individuals sitting on the hull of the capsized boat. The helicopter crew lowered a rescue swimmer and rescue basket and hoisted both survivors to the helicopter. The boaters were transported to Wilmington Airport in good condition. No injuries were reported.
