ELIZABETH CITY, N.C. (WAVY) — The Coast Guard rescued a 68-year-old man early Tuesday morning after his vessel became disabled.
Coast Guard Station Elizabeth City received information from local authorities about a disabled mariner just before 11:30 Monday evening.
According to police, the mariner said he only had about 30 minutes of battery left on his phone and had no other means of communication inside his 15-foot vesel.
A 29-foot Response Boat-Small II boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Elizabeth City was able to take the man and his vessel in tow and brought them to the Coinjock Boat Ramp in Coinjock, North Carolina, where the man was then picked up by his wife.
Lt. j.g. Magen Bloch, command duty officer at Coast Guard Sector North Carolina command center, used the incident to remind residents to have multiple means of communication onboard vessels when out on the water.
“Cell phones can be unreliable with reception and battery issues, so we always recommend having a VHF marine radio onboard, since the Coast Guard continuously monitors channel 16 for distress calls.”