DAUPHIN ISLAND, Ala. — U.S. Coast Guard officials said they rescued four boaters Friday evening after their vessel capsized near Dauphin Island.
The incident happened around 4:30 p.m., when Coast Guard watchstanders received a distress signal from a 31-foot white catamaran. Watchstanders contacted the phone number associated with the beacon and received no answer. They then contacted the spouse of the owner of the vessel, who informed them that the vessel was participating in a sailboat regatta from Gulfport, Mississippi to Pensacola, Florida and had four persons aboard.
Watchstanders coordinated the launch of a Coast Guard Station Dauphin Island 45-foot Response Boat-Medium boatcrew and a Coast Guard Aviation Training Center Mobile HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircrew to assist in the rescue.
Coast Guard Sector Mobile watchstanders were then contacted by the distressed boaters by radio via VHF-FM Channel 16 reporting their catamaran had capsized after encountering inclement weather. Reportedly after the vessel capsized, all four persons took refuge on the overturned boat and activated PLB’s and began making radio call outs.
The boat crew arrived on scene, embarked all four boaters aboard the Coast Guard vessel and transported them back to Coast Guard Station Dauphin Island in Dauphin Island, Alabama.
No injuries were reported.
