Coast Guard rescues pair from disabled boat during storm

Wrightsville Beach | Two sailors faced a six-hour ordeal Friday after their sail boat became disabled off of Wrightsville Beach about 2:30 p.m., U.S. Coast Guard officials said.

The two sailors – one of whom fell in the water for a period of time – are OK and in good spirits after being towed into Seapath Marina about 8:30 p.m., said Boatswain’s Mate First Class Tab Parker.

The 32-foot sailboat became disabled and its sails damaged near Figure Eight Island. The boaters had insurance and called a tow company to bring them in, Parker said.

But the tow became disconnected due to rough waters and high winds, so Coast Guardsmen from the station at Wrightsville Beach headed out to assist, Parker said.

Parker said the swells were 7- to 8-feet tall, with some swells reaching as high as 12 feet. He said wind speeds reached 25 to 30 knots, or about 28 to 35 miles per hour, and rain was heavy and visibility low.

“It was the roughest I’ve seen it,” said Parker, who has been in the Coast Guard for more than eight years.

The rough weather forced the Coast Guard back to the station to regroup.

When they went back out, the sailboat had drifted at least a mile away from Masonboro Inlet. This time the tow company, Towboat US, was able to bring the boat into Seapath, though conditions were still rough, Parker said.

– Chris Mazzolini