SAN JUAN — Coast Guard crews rescued three mariners, U.S. citizens, and completed a three-day tow of the distressed sailing vessel Valour to Puerto Rico Sunday, after the vessel started taking on water in the Atlantic Ocean, approximately 300 nautical miles north of Puerto Rico.
The 45-foot vessel Valour was being delivered from Tortola, British Virgin Islands to the British island of Bermuda, when the vessel started to take on water from an unidentified source and the crew could not control the flooding.
“I commend the investigative work of Sector San Juan Command Center personnel during the initial communications with the sailing vessel Valour which allowed us to quickly identify the distress situation and coordinate appropriate response,” said Lt. Cmdr. Nestor Lazu Rivas, Sector San Juan Command Center chief. “Their quick actions made it possible for our assets to arrive on scene to assist and bring the mariners to safety. This case also highlights the importance of having proper communications equipment onboard.”
Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector San Juan received a call at 1p.m. Thursday from the wife of the vessel Valour’s Captain, who reported the distress and that her husband and two other male crewmembers aboard the sailing vessel were in need of assistance.
Coast Guard watchstanders in Sector San Juan established communications with the Captain of the distressed sailing vessel, who reported the vessel’s engine compartment was flooded and that they were trying to dewatering the space manually. Coast Guard watchstanders diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Tezanos and coordinated the launch of an HC-130 Hercules aircraft from Air Station Elizabeth City in North Carolina.
Once on scene, the Coast Guard aircrew dropped two dewatering pumps and a VHF radio recovered by the crew of the sailing vessel. The crew of the vessel Valour identified two sources of flooding and stabilized the vessel by using the dewatering pumps to remove over 1,700 gallons of water from the vessel’s engine compartment.
The Coast Guard aircrew also established communications with the 590-foot Cyprus-flagged cargo ship Smew, which diverted to render assistance. The vessel Smew remained on scene with the vessel Valour while the cutter Joseph Tezanos completed the 15-hour transit to arrive on scene.
Once on scene, at approximately 4:30 a.m. Friday, the cutter Joseph Tezanos crew launched the cutter small boat to go onboard and establish a towline with the distressed sailing vessel and attempt repairs. The cutter Joseph Tezanos completed the tow of the vessel Valour Sunday morning to 15 miles north of Puerto Rico, where a Sea Tow Puerto Rico vessel rendered assistance and completed the tow of the vessel to Puerto del Rey Marina in Fajardo, Puerto Rico.
There were no injuries reported in this case.
Coast Guard Cutter Joseph Tezanos is a 154-foot fast response cutter that is homeported in San Juan, Puerto Rico.