NEW ORLEANS — The Coast Guard rescued three people from a disabled vessel on Lake Pontchartrain, Thursday.
Watchstanders from Coast Guard Sector New Orleans received notification from St. Charles Sheriff’s Office of a disabled 17-foot personal craft with three men aboard in the vicinity of the spillway and the airport on Lake Pontchartrain.
The disabled vessel reportedly had a dead battery and was taking on water from the waves.
An MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station New Orleans responded to the distress and located the disabled vessel. Due to the location of the vessel St. Charles Sheriff’s Office response boatscrews were unable to assist.
The helicopter crew hoisted the three men and transferred the three people back to the air station where commercial salvage plans were discussed.
"They were well prepared with their life jackets, and they had all the right tools necessary to be seen and heard," Cmdr. Michael Brandhuber, pilot, commanding officer of Air Station New Orleans. "Overall it was a textbook case of interagency coordination between St. Charles Sheriff Office and the Coast Guard."
The Coast Guard recommends all boaters wear their life jackets, have a VHF-FM radio and the appropriate navigational charts on board. A marine-band radio is the best method of communication while on the water. Although cell phones are a good backup, they can be unreliable due to gaps in coverage and limited battery life.