NEAH BAY — A Coast Guard ground party rescued two people from a 22-foot recreational boat that ran aground off Kydaka Point about 10 miles east of Neah Bay.
The ground party found a man and woman huddled together in the grounded boat Sunday night, the Coast Guard reported.
Rescuers pulled the two people to safety and offered blankets for warmth as they provided initial first aid and transported the boaters to Sekiu, where they had started their trip.
The Coast Guard did not identify the two people, citing privacy concerns.
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound received a call from the boaters via cellphone at 7:02 p.m., with a report of being disabled and in distress.
Communications were lost between the Coast Guard and the boaters,the Coast Guard said.
The watchstanders directed the launch of a Station Neah Bay boat crew and ground crew, as well as an aircrew from Air Station Port Angeles.
A boat crew aboard a 29-foot Response Boat-Small II arrived on scene first and then the ground crew. The aircrew returned to base after the boaters were rescued by the ground crew.
Thirty gallons of gasoline are aboard the beached boat but the fuel is not considered a pollution concern because of the position of the boat.
It is the owners’ responsibility to salvage and remove the boat from the beach, the Coast Guard said.
The water temperature was 50 degrees and the air temperature was 63 degrees with a gale wind warning in effect.
