Coast Guard rescues couple from sailboat 180 miles off Washington coast

Two people were rescued Saturday off their sailboat 180 miles off the Washington coast, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

The Coast Guard rescued the husband and wife west of Grays Harbor using an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Warrenton, Oregon.

The Coast Guard tracked the electronic position-indicating radio beacon on the Kelaerin, a 46-foot sailing vessel. The air crew hoisted the couple into the helicopter and took them to Warrenton.

The couple were treated for symptoms related to hypothermia.

The Coast Guard received an alert from the boat at 5:46 a.m. Saturday at its command center in Seattle.

The helicopter crew arrived on scene at 9:33 a.m. and lowered a rescue swimmer.

The couple reportedly was sailing between Hawaii and Bellingham when they ran into rough weather and seas. The boat wasn’t taking on water but seawater had washed aboard, the Coast Guard said.

Other ships were to be notified of the drifting sailboat. Any salvage of the Kelaerin will be at the owners' discretion, the Coast Guard said.

A blog linked to a boat called the Kelaerin indicates it belongs to an experienced sailing couple. It couldn't be confirmed if the two ships are the same.

This story was originally published June 16, 2018 at 1:52 PM with the headline "Coast Guard rescues couple from sailboat 180 miles off Washington coast."