3 rescued after sailboat sinks near south Georgia coast: Officials

ST. MARYS, Ga. — The U.S. Coast Guard saved multiple people after their boat sank in Georgia’s low country.

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Around 1 p.m. on Sunday, Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville received an alert from the operator of the Last Chance, a 26-foot sailboat, that was stranded north of the entrance to St. Marys Inlet, GA.

The Jacksonville borough sent out an urgent marine broadcast alerting all mariners in the area of the distress call.

Officials said the trio all put on life jackets and had prepared to get off the sailing vessel onto another a dingy.

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Coast Guard Station Mayport boat crew and a Coast Guard Air Station Savannah helicopter crew were launched to help.

The Mayport boat crew along with several good Samaritans found the trio with their sailboat submerged nearby, according to authorities.

First responders took all three people to a nearby hospital to be checked for injuries. Their ages and identities were not released.

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The Coast Guard said at the time, the sailboat was battling 20 mph winds and 3-to-5-foot seas when it sunk.

St. Marys is 342 miles from Atlanta, which is about a five-hour drive. It’s about 40 miles from Jacksonville, FL.

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3 rescued after sailboat sinks near south Georgia coast: Officials A Coast Guard Station Mayport boat crew rescues three people after their 26-foot sailboat sank near St. Marys Inlet, Georgia, Feb. 4, 2024. The boat crew located the three boaters in a dingy and transported them to awaiting EMS at Dee Dee Bartels Boat Ramp in Fernandina Beach. (U.S. Coast Guard photo courtesy Station Mayport)

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