NORTHAMPTON COUNTY, Va. (WAVY) — The United States Coast Guard and crews from the Virginia Marine Resources Commission (VMRC) medevaced a man off the coast of the Eastern Shore on Saturday.
Watchstanders at the Sector Hampton Roads command center in Portsmouth received a call around 8 a.m. from the 44-year-old man, who was on his sailboat and had gotten too sick to navigate it.
The man told watchstanders his 30-foot vessel was located near Nassawadox Creek.
A response boat from Coast Guard Station Milford Haven and a Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Elizabeth City responded to the man, as well as a boat crew from VMRC.
The helicopter crew lowered a rescue swimmer once they arrived to the scene. The swimmer was able to help get the man to the VMRC’s boat.
The man was then hoisted into the helicopter and carried to Riverside Shore Memorial Hospital in Onancock.
“The shallowness of the water created a challenging environment for our boat crew, but working with the VMRC enabled us to help this mariner quickly and efficiently,” said Jerry Besecker, operations unit controller with the Sector Hampton Roads command center via press release.
There is no update on the man’s condition. Stay on WAVY.com for the latest.
