What to Know
- The ocean rescue occurred in the Atlantic Ocean, about nine miles offshore.
- The Coast Guard also deployed a rescue boat from Cape May, and a large vessel already underway.
- All seven rescued were returned to land safely.
Fishermen came to the rescue of seven people whose boat sank Saturday several miles off the coast of Cape May, New Jersey, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
The seven were aboard a boat called "Beach Runner," when it started "rapidly taking on water" about nine miles off shore in the area of Cape May reef, the Coast Guard said.
They had issued a distress call on radio Channel 16, which prompted an "Urgent Marine Information Broadcast" to alert boaters in the area.
The signal worked: Two other nearby fishing boats, the Miss Addison and the Porgy IV, rushed to the scene to pluck the seven fellow boaters from the ocean.
All seven were wearing life jackets, the Coast Guard said.
The Beach Runner eventually sunk.
Local
The seven people rescued were returned safely to Cape May aboard the Miss Addison.
"This is a perfect example of boaters and the maritime community doing the right thing in an emergency situation," said David Umberger, command duty officer at Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay. "From everyone wearing life jackets to all boaters having radios tuned to channel 16 – this case illustrates how good communication and safety measures bring rescuers together to quickly and effectively help those who are in need."
