PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) — On Tuesday afternoon, an Astoria Coast Guard crew saved two Canadian men from their boat that was adrift 80 miles off of the Washington coast.
The U.S. Coast Guard Pacific Northwest command center received the call from one of the boat passengers just after 11 a.m. that morning. According to Petty Officer Annika Hirschler, the vessel had a broken propeller and ripped sails along with a dead generator.
Although the USCG’s Port Angeles unit is closer to the scene outside Neah Bay, Wash., an agency coordinator called on Air Station Astoria to respond to the request instead.
“The decision to launch Air Station Astoria was made by the search and rescue mission coordinator after the distance of the vessel, weather, and other factors were evaluated,” authorities said.
The responding unit arrived on the scene around 3:40 p.m. that afternoon. At the time, the Coast Guard recorded 50-knot winds with a speed of 20 knots and a visibility of 7 nautical miles.
Hirschler told KOIN 6 that an aviation survival technician successfully lifted the passengers from their boat before they were transported to Air Station Port Angeles.
According to USCG, the two men were later released to the Canadian Border Patrol, where they remained in stable condition.
