News Release: Coast Guard medevacs ailing sailboat captain near Columbia, NC

News Release

U.S. Coast Guard 5th District Mid-Atlantic Contact: 5th District Public Affairs Office: (757) 398-6272 After Hours: (757) 434-7712 5th District online newsroom

Coast Guard medevacs ailing sailboat captain near Columbia, NC

 

 

WILMINGTON, N.C. — The Coast Guard medevaced an ailing sailboat captain near Columbia Sunday.

 

Watchstanders in the Coast Guard Sector North Carolina command center in Wilmington received a call from the sailboat captain at about 4:45 p.m. He requested a medevac due to pain and complications from a pre-existing medical condition.

 

Sector North Carolina watchstanders issued an urgent marine information broadcast, and a Coast Guard 29-foot Response Boat-Small crew from Elizabeth City launched from the Alligator River Marina in Columbia. The crew arrived on scene approximately 13 miles south of the Alligator River Bridge in 4-foot seas and 30 mph winds.

 

The Coast Guard took the male captain and his two passengers aboard. The Coast Guard brought them to Alligator River Marina where the captain was placed in the care of local EMS.

 

"We were glad to be able to take this man to shore to the medical attention he needed," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Brandon Bryant, response boat operator for the case. "The conditions were rough out there. We advise anyone not feeling well to stay off the water—especially in rough conditions."

 

The sailboat was left anchored in the Alligator River. The captain is working on a plan to retrieve it.

 

-USCG-