Four sailors stuck on disabled boat off Nova Scotia rescued by helicopter

HALIFAX – Officials say four people aboard a stranded, storm-battered sailboat off Nova Scotia have been rescued.

Joint Task Force Atlantic tweeted Monday night that the four crew members were hoisted into a Royal Canadian Air Force helicopter and flown safely to Halifax.

Capt. Wayne Jarvis, air co-ordinator with the Joint Rescue Co-ordination Centre in Halifax, had said earlier that the U.K.-registered vessel was about 240 nautical miles southeast of Halifax.

He said the 15-metre sailboat had been beaten up in the stormy seas, and at 6 p.m. AT was in the “storm centre” with winds up to 50 knots causing high seas.

A photo tweeted by the task force appeared to show the vessel with a torn jib flapping in the wind, although the mainsail looked to be stowed.

An earlier tweet said the sailboat was “disabled.”

Several assets, including HMCS Summerside, HMCS Glace Bay and a U.S. Coast Guard aircraft, assisted in the operation.