A helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station/Sector Field Office Port Angeles hoisted two men from a lifeboat near Smith Island on Friday night.
The unidentified men had climbed into the lifeboat when their 26-foot sailing vesse, Pia was “beset by inclement weather,” the Coast Guard said in a statement.
Smith Island is located about halfway between Admiralty Inlet and Lopez Island.
The Coast Guard crew, using a rescue basket and a rescue swimmer, hoisted the two men into the MH-65 Dolphin helicopter at about 9:15 p.m., and took them to Port Angeles.
The Coast Guard said the men had no reported injuries.
The Coast Guard did not identify the men or their hometowns. When contacted Saturday, the Coast Guard said it had no additional information.
The boat remained adrift on Saturday with nobody aboard. The Coast Guard was issuing radio broadcasts to warn marine traffic of the navigational hazard.
The crew had contacted the Coast Guard by VHF marine band radio, saying they were in distress. Both men were wearing life jackets when they were rescued.
The Coast Guard said the boat’s owner, who also was unidentified, will hire a salvage company to recover the boat when weather conditions improve.
