Cruise ship aids Coast Guard in rescue

ELIZABETH CITY, Va. (WAVY) - An Elizabeth City Coast Guard crew, along with the crew of a cruise ship, saved five boaters who could have been lost at sea.

On October 29, the Coast Guard received a notification from a member of the sailing vessel Sanctuary stating they had taken several large breaking waves over the bow, had lost power and were slowing taking on water. Watchstanders at the Coast Guard 5th District Command Center helped coordinate the rescue, located 256 miles northeast of Bermuda, with the help of the cruise ship Norwegian Gem.

"In the high seas, you can go from a situation that is manageable to nobody making it in an hour," Petty Officer Jacobe Hyre said.

A C-130 Hercules crew from Air Station Elizabeth City was launched to locate and assist in the rescue. Crews said the rescue's location would have taken days to get to by boat and would've been even tougher for a chopper to get to.

An alert was sent to other boats in the area.

"They never know when that's going to be them that is in trouble," Hyre added. "Of all the groups that are out there, mariners are usually pretty quick to help each other out."

The Norwegian Gem just happened to be in the area. The cruise ship sent out a distress boat, which tethered itself to the Sanctuary. Crews were able to bring all five boaters to safety.

"If they weren't there the situation could have been tragic," Hyre said.

All five had life jackets on, but their life raft had washed overboard.

"I think a lot of times when it comes to dealing with these deep water cases a lot of times it's better to be lucky than good," Hyre added. "We plan a lot for this, but mother nature you can never completely plan for her."