A U.S. Coast Guard crew carried a couple and their dog to safety after their sailboat was damaged.
All three were sailing along the Gulf of Mexico Saturday when a broken porthole started letting water into their boat and began damaging electronics, per a Coast Guard news release.
At around 11 a.m., Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg watchstanders received a distress alert about the stranded vessel, which was located about 90 miles off Hernando Beach, Florida.
The aircrew was able to locate the two people and their dog because their sailboat instantly sent out a digital selective calling (DSC) alert, which notified the Coast Guard of their position, according to said Lt. j.g. Connor Sullivan, command duty officer, Sector St. Petersburg.
“A DSC alert allows mariners to instantly send an automatically formatted distress alert to the Coast Guard or other rescue authority anywhere in the world,” Sullivan said in the release.
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He added, “Due to the reported water ruining the system, this alert gave us their last known position and allowed us to investigate because the owners registered it to their equipment.”
Soon after, a Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater aircrew aboard a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter rescued the trio, per the release.
In a video shared by the Coast Guard, one of those rescued and his furry friend were slowly lifted into the aircraft from the water.
After rescuing all three, the aircrew transported them “to Air Station Clearwater in good health,” per the release.
The Florida air station shared the rescue story in a Facebook post. In the comments, users lauded the crew for their “awesome” work and “great job.”
“Congratulations to the Coasties in doing such a fantastic rescue once again,” one person wrote, adding that “we applaud you all.” Another user wrote, “This gives me goosebumps! What great kids you have! Well done!”
At the air station, the dog appeared to befriend some Coast Guard members, and both the pet and its owners posed for a group shot with some of their rescuers.
As of Saturday, salvage for the couple’s vessel was “being coordinated,” per the Coast Guard.