BALTIMORE (July 2, 2009)—The Coast Guard rescued two people from a sailboat in St. Mary's River near Webster Field, Saint Inigoes, Md., Wednesday night.
A member aboard the Morning Star, a 30-foot sailboat, contacted Coast Guard Sector Baltimore watchstanders via marine-band radio at 9:02 p.m. reporting the anchor was dragging towards a shoal due to strong winds.
Within 15 minutes the Station Saint Inigoes 41-foot utility boat crew was on scene and began towing the vessel and crew to Dennis Point Marina in Drayden.
"Without him being able to relay his position, we wouldn't have been able to find him due to weather conditions," said Petty Officer 2nd Class Randy Brandon, a boat crew engineer from Station Saint Inigoes. "Using a marine-band radio, we were able to get his general location."
There were no reports of injuries.
The Coast Guard urges mariners to outfit their boat with a functioning marine-band radio. Using channel 16 is the most reliable way to get help in the event of an emergency on the water.