SEQUIM — Two people were rescued by the Coast Guard this morning when the 67-foot wooden yacht on which they were riding sank off Dungeness Spit.
Although the two were not identified, the Coast Guard identified the craft as the Lady A. The yacht is owned by Judson “Jud” Linnabary, owner and president of Platypus Marine Inc. of Port Angeles, reports PDN maritime columnist David G. Sellars.
A passing ship’s crew and the Coast Guard both sent boats to help the pair, who radioed that they were abandoning the sinking boat. Neither was injured, the Coast Guard reported.
The crew of the Tokyo Express, a 664-foot container ship passing by in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, launched a small boat crew to assist. That boat arrived on scene — northeast of the tip of Dungeness Spit — at about the same time as a Port Angeles-based Coast Guard response boat at 8:09 a.m.
The rescuers found both people still aboard the Lady A. The two were taken on board the Coast Guard boat and transported to Station Port Angeles on Ediz Hook.
The Coast Guard said the Lady A sank in about 180 feet of water with about 700 gallons of diesel fuel aboard. No sheen has been reported, and the boat is not considered a hazard to navigation, the Coast Guard said.
Pollution responders from Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound’s incident management division are working with the owner of the vessel and the state Department of Ecology to determine if the Lady A can be salvaged, the Coast Guard said.
The Tokyo Express’ boat crew returned to the container ship, which resumed its course to Tacoma at about 8:35 a.m. The ship arrived in Tacoma early Friday afternoon.
