Couple sailing around the world rescued off New Jersey coast after boat capsizes

A couple that was rescued by the Coast Guard off the coast of New Jersey was sailing around the world for the past few years before their sailboat capsized.

News 12 Staff

May 31, 2019, 9:30 AM

Updated 2,019 days ago

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A couple that was rescued by the Coast Guard off the coast of New Jersey was sailing around the world for the past few years before their sailboat capsized.
The Coast Guard Air Station Atlantic City responded late Wednesday night.
The couple was on the last leg of their trip, 65 miles east of Barnegat Light, when strong storms this week caused their sailboat, a 55-foot wooden-hull sailboat named Bertie, to capsize.
They were trying to make it to New York City from the Bahamas.
The Coast Guard followed a blinking strobe light and found the couple clinging to the hull of the sinking boat.
"This was an extremely challenging hoist due to on-scene conditions, but the entire crew came together to work as a team to get the job done," said Lt. Anthony Monteforte, one of the helicopter pilots on the case. "I am extremely proud of my crew and all of the other assets that aided in this rescue and thankful that the survivors onboard used a currently registered EPIRB so that we could quickly locate them."
The couple was taken by helicopter to a hospital in Atlantic City and are reportedly doing OK.