Coast Guard rescues two after boat sinks: life jackets play key role

BOSTON — The Coast Guard rescued two men after their pleasure boat sank about nine miles north of Rockport, Mass., Sat., May 29, 2010.

Coast Guard Station Gloucester received a cell phone call at 1:35 p.m., from the men reporting their boat, the 30-foot Happy Days, was taking on water. The station advised the men to put on their life jackets.

The boat sank shortly after and the men found themselves in 57-degree water.

Station Gloucester launched a 47-foot and 25-foot boat crew, Coast Guard Station Merrimack River dispatched a 47-foot boat crew, and Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod sent an HH-60 Jayhawk helicopter and an HU-25 Falcon jet crew to search for the men. The 110-foot Coast Guard Cutter Grand Isle from Gloucester, Mass., also participated in the search.

The Coast Guard worked with the cell phone company to determine an approximate location of the men's last known position.

The Falcon jet crew spotted the two men around 7 p.m. The 25-foot boat crew from Gloucester rescued the 62-year old and 34-year old men from the water and transferred them to the helicopter around 7:30 p.m. The helicopter transported the men to a local hospital.

"Luckily the two men were wearing life jackets," said Ensign Marie Haywood from Coast Guard Sector Boston. "The life jackets played a key role in helping the men stay afloat for the nearly six hours they spent in the 57-degree water."

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