Portsmouth, Va. — The Coast Guard rescued two people from a sailboat that ran aground Friday at the entrance to the Alligator River near Elizabeth City.
The crew of the Permission Impossible, a 22-foot sailboat, contacted Coast Guard Sector North Carolina Command Center watchstanders at approximately 5:30 p.m. Friday, reporting their sailboat was aground and were in need of assistance.
Sector North Carolina watchstanders issued a marine assistance request broadcast and dispatched crews aboard a 25-foot Response Boat from Coast Guard Station Elizabeth City and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City to assist.
The RB-S from Station Elizabeth City arrived on scene, but was unable to get close enough to pass a towline to the aground sailboat due to the shallow water.
The Jayhawk crew lowered a rescue swimmer to the sailboat, hoisted a man and a woman from the sailboat and took them to the air station where they were taken to a local hotel.
There were no reports of injuries, and the owner is scheduled to salvage the boat.
