A 74-year-old Canadian man was rescued from his disabled 29’ sailboat nearly 500 miles off Oregon, in an operation coordinated by the Coast Guard with the crew of cruise ship that diverted 120 miles to make the pickup.
Watchstanders at the Coast Guard’s Northwest District received a May 25 distress relay from the Joint Rescue Coordination Center in Victoria, Canada, reporting a mariner who sustained a shoulder injury after his sailboat Alice, was dismasted and the engine out of commission while navigating in gale-force winds and 30’ seas from Hawaii to British Columbia.
The watchstanders made contact with the sailor through his handheld satellite communicator and launched a rescue operation, maintaining contact while tracking the Alice’s position. At that range nearly 500 miles west of Tillamook, Ore., the Coast Guard deployed a long-range C-27J Spartan fixed-wing aircraft from Sacramento, Calif., to reach the scene and provide aerial overwatch.
“The C-27J provides long-range support by acting as an 'eye in the sky' to assess sea states and vessel damage,” according to a Coast Guard narrative of the operation. “It is also equipped to airdrop life rafts, communication gear, and rations, sustaining survivors far offshore while responders coordinate with surface ships or helicopters to complete the physical rescue.”
While the air mission launched, the Coast Guard activated the Automated Mutual-Assistance Vessel Rescue (AMVER) system, a global maritime safety network that tracks the positions of participating commercial ships, enabling watchstanders to quickly identify closest available ships and request their assistance.
The crew of a Silverseas cruise ship, the 610’ x 82’ Silver Whisper, responded to the Coast Guard’s AMVER request and diverted from their planned course to rescue the injured mariner. A second C-27J aircrew from Sacramento was launched to provide overhead communication and supervision.
When they rendezvoused alongside the drifting Alice, the Silver Whisper crew pulled the injured mariner off his disabled vessel and through a port onto the cruise ship. Silver Whisper’s onboard medical team provided care to the rescued mariner until their arrival in Vancouver.
“This mariner’s experience and preparedness allowed the Coast Guard and other agencies to communicate with him and effect a rescue,” said Scott Giard, the Coast Guard Northwest District Search and Rescue Program manager. “His foresight to bring a satellite communicator averted a tragedy. We would also like to thank Silver Whisper for their assistance with this rescue.”
The mariner was sailing solo from Hilo, Hawaii, to Vancouver, British Columbia, Canada. He had completed the voyage four times previously. He was equipped with sufficient food, water, a life jacket, life raft, and a satellite communication device.
