A U.S. Coast Guard aircrew rescued a man and a woman from the 35-foot power boat Saturday after it went aground in the vicinity of Shoy Point near Beauregard Bay on St. Croix, a Coast Guard press release issued Monday indicated.
The Coast Guard received a mayday call at 8:41 p.m. Saturday via VHF-Channel 16 marine radio from one of the passengers aboard the Last Straw. The passenger reported the vessel had run hard aground on a reef with a 56-year-old woman and a 71-year-old man aboard. The Coast Guard did not identify the passengers.
The vessel reportedly sustained damage to the hull and was taking on water, but passengers said the boat was not in danger of sinking.
St. Croix-based Coast Guard staff responded by boat while Air Station Borinquen in Puerto Rico launched an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter and crew to search for the grounded vessel and provide rescue assistance.
The crew of the Coast Guard helicopter arrived on scene and hoisted the man and woman aboard. They transported them to the Henry E. Rohlsen Airport on St. Croix, where they were transferred to Gov. Juan F. Luis Hospital for observation.
The owner of the vessel has hired a salvage company that will attempt to refloat the vessel during high tide Tuesday. Coast Guard response personnel from Regional Inspection Office on St. Croix will continue to monitor salvage efforts.