THE VIRGINIAN-PILOT
Copyright (c) 1996, Landmark Communications, Inc.
DATE: Tuesday, November 12, 1996 TAG: 9611120222
SECTION: LOCAL PAGE: B3 EDITION: FINAL
SOURCE: BY JACK DORSEY, STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: PORTSMOUTH LENGTH: 40 lines
Seven people on a pleasure sail to Bermuda look as if they'll wind up in Holland after being rescued from stormy seas by a merchant ship off the North Carolina coast.
``That's normally the way it works,'' Coast Guard Petty Officer Brandon Brewer said of the rescued crew's unexpected diversion, 3,500 miles from their intended destination.
``Unless (such merchant ships) are close to a port, it's too expensive for them go much out of their way to take these people home. It's a lot of money.''
The seven sailors had been aboard the 106-foot sailboat Lene Marie, an 85-year-old ketch, heading from New York to Bermuda when their boat began taking on water early Saturday about 450 miles east of Cape Hatteras.
They reported fighting 20-foot seas.
The Coast Guard's Atlantic Area Command Center in Portsmouth diverted a C-130 Hercules aircraft from another mission and reached the scene about noon, officials said.
Cold-weather survival gear was dropped to the sailboat's crew. The only emergency gear aboard the Lene Marie were lifejackets and a life raft, according to the Coast Guard.
Six civilian ships, plus a Navy ship, also were diverted to the scene.
The first to arrive was the civilian motor vessel Arctic, a 300-foot Bahamian-flagged cargo ship.
The seven from the Lene Marie abandoned ship for a life raft and were picked up by the Arctic's crew. There were no reports of injuries, said Brewer.
It was not known if the Lene Marie sank, said Brewer. He expected its owner would attempt to salvage the ketch if it remains afloat.
However, the owner, who was aboard but not identified, may have a wait.
The first port of call for the Arctic is Flushing, The Netherlands - more than 3,500 miles from Bermuda.
KEYWORDS: RESCUE U.S. COAST GUARD by CNB