SEATTLE — Two boaters were medically evacuated to Harborview Hospital by a Coast Guard Air Station Port Angeles aircrew Sunday.
The boaters, a husband and wife, sustained severe injuries when their 47-foot sailing vessel ran aground near Friday Harbor and began taking on water, according to a press release.
Two other passengers were onboard the vessel, according to the release.
Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound watchstanders received a call at approximately 6:30 p.m. reporting the incident, according to the release.
Shortly thereafter, a Seattle-based boat crew from the Coast Guard Maritime Safety & Security Team (MSST) onboard a 25-foot Response Boat arrived first and assisted in dewatering the sailing vessel.
The Coast Guard cutter Sea Lion was in the area and diverted to the scene where crewmembers patched the sailing vessel’s hull and pumped water out of the bilge.
The Sea Lion crew then escorted the sailing vessel to Friday Harbor.
The MSST crew took the injured boaters aboard their vessel and transported them to Friday Harbor to be screened by emergency medical technicians.
Once the vessels made it to shore, the Port Angeles aircrew transported the injured boaters on a MH-65 Dolphin helicopter to the Seattle hospital for further medical care.
The cause of the incident is currently under investigation, according to the release.
