For video of the rescue, click the photo above.
NEW ORLEANS — The Coast Guard rescued a man from a life raft 30 miles south of Southwest Pass, Wednesday.
A crewmember aboard the motor vessel Harvey Pacer notified Coast Guard Sector New Orleans after recieving a Mayday call from the sailing vessel Amsheet, reportedly stating it had struck an unknown object and was taking on water and that the owner was in a life raft.
A Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and aircrew was deployed and arrived on scene where the crew hoisted the man aboard and transported him back to Air Station New Orleans at 7 a.m.
"The survivor was very well prepared with proper clothing, life preserver, life raft, and a radio,” said Lt. Jay Kircher, a pilot at the air station. “All of these items helped ensure a quick recovery with no injuries."
The survivor also had a satellite GPS tracker onboard his life raft which gave Sector New Orleans periodic position updates, greatly decreasing the amount of time spent searching once the helicopter arrived on scene.
There were no reported injuries.