Coast Guard responds to disabled sailboat 300 miles off Cape Henry, Va.

PORTSMOUTH, VA, UNITED STATES

01.14.2014

Story by Petty Officer 1st Class Brandyn Hill 

U.S. Coast Guard District 5   

PORTSMOUTH, Va. — The Coast Guard is responding to a disabled sailboat with four people aboard in the Atlantic Ocean Tuesday approximately 300 miles east of Cape Henry, Va.

A representative from the manufacturer of the Be Good Too, a 42-foot sailboat, contacted the Coast Guard at approximately 1:30 p.m. Monday, reporting the Be Good Too was disabled and adrift during its transit from New York to the British Virgin Islands.

"Last night we spoke with the Be Good Too crew and based on the forecasted weather, they decided they were willing to depart their vessel around 5 p.m. Monday," said Matthew Brooks, a Coast Guard 5th District Command Center command duty officer. "We did not want to conduct a transfer at night due to the risk of the mission and the fact that the crew was not in immediate distress."

District watchstanders determined that responding with a Coast Guard cutter was not feasible due to the distance offshore. Therefore, Coast Guard personnel contacted U.S. Fleet Forces personnel requesting a Navy vessel to assist the Coast Guard in their response. The USS Ross, a 505-foot guided missle destroyer, diverted course to provide a refueling platform for a Coast Guard helicopter.

District watchstanders dispatched crews aboard a Jayhawk helicopter and an HC-130 Hercules aircraft from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, N.C., at approximately 6:20 a.m. to assist.

The Jayhawk crew landed on the USS Ross to refuel at approximately 7:30 a.m. and then proceeded to the location of the Be Good Too.

The Jayhawk crew completed their hoist of the four people aboard the sailboat at approximately 9:15 a.m., refueled aboard the USS Ross and took them to the air station.

• Date Taken: 01.14.2014
• Date Posted: 01.14.2014 17:06
• Story ID: 119154
• Location: PORTSMOUTH, VA, US