Coast Guard, ferry crew save 6 people, 2 dogs in Rosario Strait

SEATTLE — A Washington State Ferries crew on Saturday helped the Coast Guard rescue six people and two dogs from a boat in Rosario Strait.

A 37-foot cabin cruiser called for assistance during “nasty weather” near Decatur Island just before 1 p.m., the Coast Guard station in Bellingham said. A wave over the bow shattered the boat’s front windshield, injuring some of the boaters and causing the vessel to take on water.

The boaters shared their GPS position before their radio shorted out and they lost communications. The Coast Guard issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast — a radio message for all boaters in the area — and dispatched vessels and a helicopter.

Before the Coast Guard arrived, the ferry Samish responded and launched its rescue boat. Four boaters were taken on board the ferry, and the ferry used its size to shield the damaged boat from wind and waves.

A U.S. Coast Guard boat responded and took the two other passengers and their dogs, Buster and Belle, on board. Coast Guard crew members drove the cabin cruiser safely to Anacortes while the Samish shielded it from the wind.

Once on shore, the Anacortes Fire Department took the boaters to EMS to be checked for any injuries.

“The quick response and excellent seamanship exhibited by Washington State Ferries highlights the incredible partnerships we have in the Puget Sound,” Lt. Ryan Sexton, a command duty officer at Coast Guard Sector Puget Sound, said in a statement. “The mariners’ use of a VHF radio for their distress call was critical to our ability to quickly locate them and coordinate an effective response.”