ALPINE MELINA

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Tanker saved crew of distressed Swedish yacht

The "Alpine Melina" responded to a distress notification regarding the Swedish 32-ft-s/y "Aela" on May 6, 2017, and was vectored to her position by a Coast Guard C-130 aircrew. She recovered the three men from the disabled boat early on May 7. They were all reported to be in good condition. The U.S. Coast Guard had coordinated the rescue of the sailors after their boat became disabled and demasted 1,200 miles east of Cape Cod. An Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) aboard the sailboat alerted Coast Guard watchstanders to the distress. The watchstanders promptly directed Coast Guard Air Station Elizabeth City, in North Carolina, to launch a C-130 Hercules long-range surveillance aircraft to ascertain the nature of distress and gain visual contact with the three stranded people. Watchstanders also spoke with the father of two of the stranded men, who reported his last contact with his sons was May 5 via email. Through the Global Maritime Distress and Safety System, an international distress notification system, mariners nearby AELA were alerted to the sailboat’s situation. Three ships voluntarily participating in the Automated Mutual Assistance Vessel Rescue System (AMVER), each with varying times of arrival for rescue. The rescued men will stay aboard the "Alpine Melina" until Tuxpan, ETA May 15, the ship’s next port of call after having sailed from Ijmuiden on Apr 27, where they will embark flights home to Sweden. Their intended voyage was from Nassau, Bahamas, to Bermuda, but bad weather forced the boat to attempt to sail to the Azores instead.