Date: October 31, 2009

Contact: Petty Officer
George Degener
(216) 902-6020 office
(216) 310-2608 cell

Coast Guard rescues two near Chicago 

CHICAGO—The U.S. Coast Guard rescued two people, a male and female, at approximately 4:00 p.m., Saturday, after their vessel capsized in Calumet Harbor, Ill.

Coast Guard Station Calumet Harbor received notification via telephone from a Good Samaritan who noticed a capsized sailboat from the window of his apartment building.  Station Calumet Harbor’s 41-foot Utility Boat was already underway and arrived on scene within minutes of notification.

Both people were pulled from the water without incident and were taken to the north side of Chicago’s Navy Pier where local Emergency Medical Services were standing by.

Both victims were wearing life jackets.

“The female victim was showing early signs of hypothermia,” said Petty Officer 1^st Class Chris O’Donnell, coxswain of Station Calumet Harbor’s utility boat. “The male victim was cold but he seemed like he was doing alright.”

The Coast Guard would like to remind recreational boaters that as the weather gets cooler, so does the temperature in the water, increasing the chances of hypothermia. Always use caution when recreating on the water.

The Coast Guard requires all recreational boats to carry one wearable Personal Flotation Device (Type I, II, III or Type V PFD) for each person aboard.  Any boat 16ft and longer (except canoes and kayaks) must also carry one throwable PFD (Type IV PFD).

The law states you must have a PFD on board, but the Coast Guard recommends everyone to wear a PFD at all times when boating.  It is much more difficult to locate, access or don a PFD at the moment the accident occurs.

For further information or media inquires, contact the Ninth Coast Guard District Public Affairs Office at (216) 310-6020.

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