The boaters had been expected to return to Christmas Creek Marina on Saturday.
July 24, 2023, 2:04 AM
A U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Savannah aircrew said it saved two men Sunday morning after their boat capsized off the coast of Jekyll Island in Georgia.
The U.S. Coast Guard received a distress call through 911 dispatchers Saturday evening after two men did not return to Christmas Creek Marina, and after calls to both of their phones went straight to voicemail.
A Coast Guard aircrew saves two men Sunday morning after their boat capsized off the coast of Jekyll Island in Georgia, in this photo released by the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Savannah.
U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Savannah
An aircrew aboard an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter was deployed Sunday and was able to spot the two men who were waving their arms from the water about four miles off the coast of Jekyll Island, the Coast Guard said in a press release. One man was sitting on top of the capsized 16-foot boat, and the other was in the water when the crew arrived.
Both men were successfully pulled out of the water by the Coast Guard and were later seen by medical personnel, officials said. Neither boater was reported injured.
“The southeast is prone to powerful storms that aren’t predictable and are capable of capsizing smaller vessels,” said Lt. Tucker Williams, Air Station Savannah’s public affairs officer. “We recommend all mariners carry a radio, flares and other distress signals in case they encounter an unexpected situation.”