ALAMEDA, Calif. — A pair of good Samaritan sail vessels located a sailboat in distress with two Canadian crewmembers aboard nearly 2,000 miles west southwest of the Galapagos Islands Wednesday.
At 10:24 p.m. Tuesday watchstanders at the 11th Coast Guard District Command Center received notification from a ham radio operator that the 42-foot Nirvana Now was disabled and became unstable. The 11th District sent a safetynet message to all vessels in the area to render assistance.
The crews aboard two sailboats, the Athos of London and the Continuum, responded to the safetynet. The 39-foot sailboat Continuum arrived on scene first and transferred the two crewmembers from the Nirvana Now aboard. Both reported no injuries or medical concerns. The Continuum will transport the two to Hiva-Oa in the Marquesas Islands.
En route to Hiv-Oa, the Athos of London will rendezvous with the Continuum to pass along any extra food and water the crew and two Canadian crewmembers may need.
"The rescue of the two sailors on the Nirvana Now is a testament to the dedication of our Coast Guard watchstanders, our international partners and the good Samaritans who responded to our alert," said Lt. Cmdr. Andrea Sacchetti, 11th District Response and Incident Management. "When mariners are in distress so far from any Coast Guard or other rescue service assets, we rely heavily on these resources to respond; we are grateful we had such capable vessels as the Continuum and the Athos of London to assist."