SC News

Coast Guard rescues 2 people after yacht sinks off South Carolina

South Carolina Public Radio | By Associated Press

Published October 16, 2023 at 10:03 AM EDT

A Coast Guard Station Georgetown 45-foot Response Boat–Medium crew rescues two people from the water after their 44-foot sailing vessel sank near the jetties by the entrance to Winyah Bay in Georgetown, South Carolina, Friday, Oct. 13, 2023. The boat crew recovered the individuals from the water and treated them for shock and hypothermia while transporting them to Station Georgetown to awaiting emergency medical services personnel. (U.S. Coast Guard photo, courtesy Station Georgetown via AP)

CHARLESTON, S.C, (AP) — Coast Guard rescuers saved two people from the water after their yacht sank off South Carolina.

The Coast Guard said the rescue happened Friday near the Winyah Bay entrance, close to Georgetown. The spouse of a mariner aboard the 44-foot vessel, called The Answer My Friend, placed a distress call that the yacht needed assistance.

A good Samaritan at the scene found the vessel on a jetty partially submerged, but could not find the mariners on board. A helicopter crew helped a Coast Guard vessel locate and recover the two people from the water, and they were treated for shock and hypothermia.

The yacht's mast and sails could be seen sticking out of the water in a photo released by the Coast Guard.

The Coast Guard did not identify the mariners. It said the cause of the sinking was still under investigation Saturday, and that the owner of the vessel would coordinate salvage.