GWYNN ISLAND, Va. – The Coast Guard rescued a man who was a half mile north of Gwynn Island, Virginia, Sunday.
Coast Guard Sector Hampton Roads watchstanders received a call from a resident on the island that communicated that a catamaran, which had one person in the water near it, was turned over.
Coast Guard officials sent a 29-foot Response Boat-Small crew from Station Milford Haven in Hudgins, Virginia. There, Coast Guard discovered that the man at sea had swam ashore, but that there was still another man in the water that needed assistance.
The response crew quickly worked to rescue the man still in the water, and transported him and the other man to Station Milford Haven to be checked out by local EMS. The man who was rescued from the water experienced mild hyperthermic symptoms.
“Although we’re experiencing warmer air temperatures, the water is still below 60 degrees and poses a serious threat to anyone who falls overboard,” said Lt. j.g. Brad Milliken, command duty officer at Sector Hampton Roads. “This man gave himself the best possible chance to be rescued. He made the choice to wear a life jacket, which helped keep him afloat, and a wetsuit, which helped him endure the cold water.”
The catamaran is aground on Gwynn Island and does not pose a hazard to navigation.
