Coast Guard Rescues 7 From Struggling Fishing Vessel Off Cape May

Seven people were rescued from a sport fishing boat that got caught in rough weather Sunday about 69 miles southeast of Cape May.

According to the Coast Guard, watchstanders at Sector Delaware Bay received a report from Sector Virginia stating that a 40-foot vessel was caught in ten-foot seas. The crew activated the vessel’s locator beacon, and Coast Guard crews responded with two helicopters from Air Station Elizabeth City and a motor lifeboat from Indian River.

All seven people were hoisted and taken to Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, North Carolina.

To watch a video of the rescue operation, please CLICK HERE

“One of the scariest and most unpredictable places you can be is out on the water in a storm,” Operations Specialist at Sector Delaware Bay Command Center Petty Officer 1st Class Christopher Petrenko said. “Fortunately, they had life jackets, a registered EPIRB and a radio, which they used to call for help. If any one of those pieces had been missing, we might not have been as successful as we were.”