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Coast Guard medevacs sailboat captain off North Carolina coast

Posted at 1:22 PM, Apr 16, 2018
and last updated 2018-04-16 19:31:47-04

WILMINGTON, N.C. – Coast Guard personnel medevaced the captain of a sailboat, suffering from a medical condition, off the coast of Columbia, North Carolina, Sunday.

According to officials, the Coast Guard Sector North Carolina command center in Wilmington received a call around 5 p.m. because of health complications from a pre-existing medical condition the captain suffers from.

A response boat crew from Elizabeth City was launched to make contact with the boat and its captain, arriving to the vessel located 13 miles south of the Alligator River Bridge during 4-foot seas and 30 mile per hour winds.

“We were glad to be able to take this man to shore to the medical attention he needed,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Brandon Bryant, response boat operator for the case. “The conditions were rough out there. We advise anyone not feeling well to stay off the water—especially in rough conditions.”

The captain and his two passengers were taken back to shore, and the sailboat was anchored in the Alligator River. The boat’s captain is working on a plan to retrieve it.