The Coast Guard and others recently rescued three men and a dog from a 57-foot cruising boat that was sinking off Sucia Island in the San Juans in Washington State.
The Coast Guard received a call about 2 p.m.saying that a boat was taking on water after it hit some rocks entering Echo Bay on Sucia. A small, picturesque island, Sucia is just north of Orcas Island in the San Juan Islands group. It’s near the U.S.-Canadian border.
The Coast Guard immediately sent a 45-foot response boat from Bellingham to help. Fortunately, Good Samaritans arrived at the scene first and helped reduce the flow of water to keep the cruiser from sinking. A Canadian Coast Guard helicopter hovered overhead to monitor the boat.
Meanwhile, the Coast Guard boat from Bellingham arrived and removed water from the cruiser with a dewatering pump. It then towed the vessel toward shore for five hours, until a crew from BoatUS arrived and towed it to Bellingham for repairs.
