Coast Guard Rescues Six From Sailboat Taking on Water

Press release from the Coast Guard:

Coast Guard crews from McKinleyville and North Bend, Oregon, rescued six people from their 79-foot sailboat Saturday, approximately 80 miles west of Crescent City.

 

Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay watchstanders received a VHF distress call at 3:45 p.m. from the crew of the sailboat Barlovento reporting the boat was disabled, taking on water and had a person aboard with a head and arm injury in approximately 60 mile-per-hour winds and 20-foot seas.

 

Watchstanders directed the launch of a Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento C-27J Spartan fixed-wing crew to provide air support and a Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew.

 

The Dolphin crew arrived on scene and hoisted the injured person from the Barlovento and transported the person to local emergency medical services personnel at Coast Guard Sector Humboldt Bay.

 

With the Barlovento expected to lose power, Sector Humboldt Bay watchstanders requested additional air support from a Coast Guard Air Station North Bend MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew.

 

The Sector Humboldt Bay Dolphin crew returned to the scene and hoisted three people from the Barlovento and the Air Station North Bend Dolphin crew arrived on scene and hoisted the remaining two people.

 

All survivors were transported to Sector Humboldt Bay.

 

“This case was a great example of a successful, multi-unit effort and highlights the importance of standardized procedures,” said Lt. Ryan O’Neill, a Dolphin aircraft commander at Sector Humboldt Bay. “The careful coordination between the two helicopters with support from the C-27 allowed us to save all six sailors.”

Sector Humboldt Bay watchstanders issued a broadcast to mariners regarding the abandoned Barolvento and requested that mariners transit the area with caution.

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26 Comments
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Northern Forests
Guest
Northern Forests
2 years ago

Bad ass!

Joe
Guest
Joe
2 years ago

WOW! Simply AMAZING! COAST GAURD ROCKS!!!

Joe
Guest
Joe
2 years ago
Reply to  Joe

*GUARD

Love Em
Guest
Love Em
2 years ago

rough sea rescue coast guard beyond bad ass

Guest
Guest
Guest
2 years ago

20 foot seas, 60 mph winds, 80 miles
offshore, 6 rescued, one of them injured?

Yeah, Bad Ass is no exaggeration.

That’s pretty heroic.

Salute.

Willie Bray
Guest
2 years ago
Reply to  Guest

🕯🌳I’ll second that. 🖖🖖

Jeffersonian
Guest
Jeffersonian
2 years ago

Several yuppie sailboats and sometimes their crew has perished off this coast by being idiotic enough to ignore gale warnings of the periodic northwesters here. Do they just ignore forecasts or are they that arrogantly stupid. Some years ago it cost the coast guard rescuers their lives. Young helicopter pilots and their crew, with families. These are harrowing rescues and I commend the courage and skill it takes, yet when the commercial fleet is in port due to weather why do these fools still venture forth and put the lives of these rescuers on the line.

suspence
Guest
suspence
2 years ago
Reply to  Jeffersonian

It doesn’t appear that you know very much about blue water sailing. There is nothing unusual about an 80 foot sailboat cruzing off shore in those conditions. Large sailboats a designed to handle those conditions. The most common reason for encountering problems (taking on water) it due to the hull striking an object near the surface.

Martin
Guest
Martin
2 years ago

The work between those two Coast Guard chopper crews is just damn amazing. Working to get the injured person off board and the other five without a hitch, is about as bad ass as you can ask for. Working in those seas with a vessel that likely could sink at any minute is just fantastic. A huge THANK YOU to Sector Humboldt Bay and the Coast Guard crew from North Bend, Oregon. Take a bow crews, your are all heros!!!

Gimmie a break
Guest
Gimmie a break
2 years ago
Reply to  Martin

Well said Martin. Much respect to these heroes!!

Obliviously
Guest
Obliviously
2 years ago

60 MPH winds! Hat tip to you guys.

Henning Lohse
Guest
Henning Lohse
2 years ago

A big big thank you to the 2 heli teams for rescuing the crew!

alto
Guest
alto
2 years ago

I took a tour by friend stationed there 25 years ago. Told me about the self-righting seconds time of surf/ rescue boats, if that’s what they’re called, impressive and scary. People call out The Guard as an easy option, I believe not.

Joe
Guest
Joe
2 years ago
Reply to  alto

Huh?

Kelly
Guest
Kelly
2 years ago

Several years ago I had an oil filter sprout a significant leak causing all the oil in my outboard to drain within a couple minutes. The kids and I were totally dead in the water about eight miles out from the bar in moderately rough increasing seas!
After more than several attempts without luck on the VHF to snag a tow into port we hailed the USCG and they very promptly sent out a Rigid hull Inflatable that was on scene in no time!
What a sight!!
The crew was extremely professional and helpful…not condescending in anyway or manner as we had all our emergency gear up to date…pfd’s deployed.
They firmly fixed our vessel to their‘s and Towed us all the way to the ramp at fields landing and with a smile and a “you’re welcome” to our chorus of thanks, they were off to dinner or… no lecture, no charge, just professional human kindness!
A nothing to them but heroes to the kids and I!!!
I can’t imagine the relief of those on board that sailboat at the site of the cavalry coming to their rescue.
Those guys are the absolute Real deal!!
Heroes in the flesh at the most dire times!! The best government run institution

ThinkThenAct
Guest
ThinkThenAct
2 years ago

Fabulous footage.

Mr. Bear
Guest
Mr. Bear
2 years ago

Really cool and I love the Coast Guard but that certainly doesn’t look like 60 mph winds

Angela Robinson
Guest
Angela Robinson
2 years ago
Reply to  Mr. Bear

Honestly, I thought the same. Maybe gusts up to 60.

But still, an amazing job by the Coasties. Will never take that away from them.

Guest
Guest
Guest
2 years ago

Mr. Bear and Angela Robinson,

Yes, I noticed that, also.

It should be noted, however, it was the Barlovento that reported the winds and seas, not the Coast Guard, and that the Coast Guard, facing reported 60 mph winds, and reported 20 foot seas, 80 miles out, did not hesitate, and still went for it’s rescue.

As far as the Barlovento’s report on conditions, that may have been what they had already endured, and what had caused them the problems.

With all due respect for all parties including yourselves.

David M Reddy
Guest
David M Reddy
2 years ago

I was 140 miles out once off of San Pedro, CA. We had run into a cargo net and it ripped our rudder out, we were taking on water and had no steering. They said they would reach us in 24 hours. 20 minutes later a Coast Guard Falcon Jet dropped us a generator, pump and gasoline to pump the water out that was coming in through the rudder hole. The ship showed up the next day and towed us into San Pedro. Real Heroes.

Gimmie a break
Guest
Gimmie a break
2 years ago
Reply to  David M Reddy

Wow what a story! Glad you had communication and that they dropped you crucial life-saving supplies). I’d be freakin’ out (even with the communication) lol.

Smoking
Guest
Smoking
2 years ago

Glad everyone was saved. Wondering what happens to the boat in this situation? Sunk?

Bug on a Windshield
Guest
Bug on a Windshield
2 years ago

USCG, Thank you for serving!!!

FBnative
Guest
2 years ago

This boat was a famous racing yacht, from the 1950’s. It was built for the DuPont family, and won several large East coast races! Designed to race in rough water, I would wonder what happened?

Maike Knospe
Guest
Maike Knospe
2 years ago

Hello to all of you
First I want to say
thank you that you rescued my life and life of all crew members.
We are very grateful for that.
And I can’t believe that it happened
I think my life is change now
( my English is not so good but I try to explain what has happened)
We’ve bought the Barlovento 6 years ago
Many things were restored :
New deck, some new planks, new masts,
We let repaired the engine and at last we let change the gearbox of the engine, new propeller, we retorted the skylights and fixed it with new fasteners, the electric were new the pumps controled we changed old fasteners of sails and changed the ropes( don’t know the English word for that) …
Before we started we let change some planks again new kalfatere new painting
The crew member, 6 persons worked the last three weeks to restore the last things.
Than we started in Port Townsend sailed to Port Angeles. It was amazing
The boat was perfect for offshore we have thought.
For our safety we had a satellite phone on Bord. We thought we could telephone every day to a person who gives us the news about weather We had two possibilities to hear weather reports.
Than we sailed to Neah Bay.
We didn’t know that it was closed for foreigners. We couldn’t refuel the tanks
Than we made the first mistake
We have thought we would have enough diesel to come to San Francisco
( it was enough, but when the boat was so much moving the diesel also moving and than came air into the engine
Normal our captain can repair that but the boat was so much moving that it was difficult to work on the engine)
Next mistake was a misunderstanding when we telephoned for weather report
We thought the person on telephone knew our plan non stop to go to San Francisco
He thought we are sailing near the cost and he wanted to say that we must sail near the costs
But we didn’t understand that
Next day the satellite telephone doesn’t work. But for our experience we had no worry about weather because it was stabilized weather wind force 5
And it looked stabilized
But the waves growing up and weather wasn’t stabil
We tried to telephone but it doesn’t work
Than we tried to come nearer to the cost also with engine
And suddenly the engine get air
After a while the electric doesn’t work
Than came very big waves
The boat was stabil and very good in the water. Nothing happened
24 hours we fight in the waves when the pumps Stopped to work
It happened that water came through skylight because the big waves overruns the boat
We felt safe because we know how to do. But the water didn’t run off
It changed ten times the side and suddenly I can’t understand why the water came through the skylights
No cabinet doors could stay closed
All things flew through the boat
I must do a small break because I didn’t sleep since two days and than the next very big wave came
I flew from one to the other side no chance to fix myself . It feels horrible
I smashed with my head onto the cabinet
Like a ball I flew around
My arm was broken
My teeth were loose
Because of my violation
And because of fatigue we have felt that the ends comes nearer.
There was no place to sleep because of wetness and moving
The pumps stopped to work
It came more and more water through the skylights
But the boat was good
We started to pump with handcraft( me not because my arm was broken)
Than I had very much headaches
My husband became fearful that I have blood in my head
He gaves me something against pain and fixed my arm with a wooden spoon
They pumped and tried to surf with waves
The boat was 9 knots fast without sails. We never seen waves like that.
And my husband knows how to sail. He was often offshore sailing everywhere in the world
Maybe i was not strong enough for adventures like this
And certainly we started this trip to rasher
But we all together were so happy on Bord and Barlovento runs through the ocean
It was magical
There were everywhere little mistakes we’ve made.
And we had information that it’s possible to sail the west coast
But also we’ve heard that we must not sail at this time.
Than after 30 hours fighting with waves and the information that the wind doesn’t stop since next day we must stop and called emergency
I could tell more and more about
Because we all together can’t understand why we have made so much wrong things
Barlovento
It’s a tragedy
Sorry that we let it happened
Sorry !

JB
Guest
JB
2 years ago
Reply to  Maike Knospe

Has the boat been salvaged?