Couple bound for New York City rescued from capsized boat off New Jersey coast
ATLANTIC CITY, New Jersey -- The Coast Guard rescued two people traveling from the Bahamas to New York City after their boat capsized 65 miles off the coast of Atlantic City Wednesday night.
Officials said the man and woman had been clinging to their boat for about three hours before crews could reach them.
The U.S. Coast Guard received an emergency radio beacon around 9 p.m. from a 55-foot sailing vessel named "The Bertie."
A team based in Atlantic City located the pair.
"When our helicopter arrived on-scene, the crew followed a blinking strobe light and discovered a man and a woman clinging to the hull of their capsized sailboat," said Lt. Tyler Bittner, the operations duty officer in Atlantic City.
The two were discovered floating on their capsized boat, with just the clothes on their backs. They were not wearing life vests.
A Coast Guard helicopter lifted the man and the woman from the boat amid "extremely challenging" stormy conditions.
The Coast Guard speculates the pair was blown off the deck by high winds, and then the boat flipped over. They were able to swim back to the overturned boat.
The water temperature at the time of the rescue was approximately 60 degrees. Officials said they pair was checked for hypothermia by EMS before heading to the hospital.
They were taken to AtlantiCare Regional Medical Center, Mainland Campus, for treatment. There is no word on their condition.
The Coast Guard said the couple has been sailing around the world for the past few years on Bertie. The last leg of the trip had been from the Bahamas to New York City.
----------
* Download the abc7NY app for breaking news alerts
