Four boaters saved by US Coast Guard during gale warning

Four people were rescued in the Strait of Juan de Fuca, near Port Townsend, Monday June 13 by the U.S. Coast Guard and onlookers.

The Coast Guard says they were sailing from Port Townsend to Victoria as a part of the “Race to Alaska” when they were swamped by high seas.

The Coast Guard shared a video of the rescue efforts on their Twitter account.

#BreakingNews #Update: (1/2) Hoist cam footage from the rescue of 2 individuals who entered the water after their sailing vessel capsized. This is from the Port Angeles based #USCG helicopter crew. @KIRO7Seattle @komonews @KING5Seattle @fox13seattle @PenDailyNews @KIRONewsradio pic.twitter.com/9gDeA2eq6t

— USCGPacificNorthwest (@USCGPacificNW) June 13, 2022

#BreakingNews (1/2) Multiple #USCG crews and good samaritans are responding to reports of several people in the water in the Strait of Juan de Fuca. Individuals were kayaking/sailing from Port Townsend to Victoria. So far, 4 people have been pulled from the water and taken to EMS pic.twitter.com/KXq11DblWw

— USCGPacificNorthwest (@USCGPacificNW) June 13, 2022

“The inside passage to Alaska has been paddled by native canoes since time immemorial, sailing craft for centuries, and after someone found gold in the Klondike the route was jammed with steamboats full of prospectors elbowing each other out of the way for the promise of fortune,” the race explain on their website. “It’s in the spirit of tradition, exploration, and the lawless self-reliance of the gold rush that Race to Alaska was born.”

There is a gale warning and small craft advisory in effect for the area on Washington state’s northwest coast through the afternoon of June 14.

Many of the boaters are taking shelter at Protection Island, just west of Port Townsend, during the rough weather.

Coast Guard crews as well as the Canadian Coast Guard remain on high alert in the area for other boaters in the race who might need assistance.

Follow @http://twitter.com/Mynorthwest