2 rescued after 34-ft sailboats mast breaks and boat begins drifting off NC coast – CBS17.com

WILMINGTON, N.C. (WNCN) Two people were rescued from a sailboat off the coast of North Carolina Friday after the mast broke and the boat was drifting in high seas, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The rescue happened in 12-foot seas and 21 mph winds nearly 90 miles southeast of Cape Fear, which is the location of Bald Head Island, the Coast Guard said in a news release.

Two people were in a 34-foot sailboat, named Spin Drift, when the mast broke and the boat began drifting, the news release said.

An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter was sent from Elizabeth City to help the pair.

An HC-130 Hercules airplane was also sent to the scene.

The two people aboard the Spin Drift were hoisted into the MH-60 Jayhawk and taken back to Elizabeth City, according to the news release.

The vessel is now empty and is a possible hazard to other ships, the news release said.

The USCGC Richard Dixon crew, based in Puerto Rico, was 50 miles away, during a voyage to the Coast Guard Yard in Baltimore and diverted to the scene to assist.

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2 rescued after 34-ft sailboats mast breaks and boat begins drifting off NC coast - CBS17.com