2 boaters rescued after clinging to boat for 3 hours

ATLANTIC CITY, N.J. – A man and a woman who spent three hours clinging to their capsized sailboat in the Atlantic Ocean about 65 miles (105 kilometres) off Atlantic City are safe.

The Coast Guard received a satellite distress signal from the 55-foot (17-meter) vessel Bertie on Wednesday evening. Coast Guard Petty Officer Andy Kendrick says the sailboat was headed to New York from the Bahamas when it encountered stormy conditions.

The Coast Guard launched a helicopter from Atlantic City and a plane from North Carolina. A Coast Guard cutter also was dispatched.

Kendrick says a rescue swimmer found the two hanging onto the capsized boat. They were hoisted aboard the helicopter.

The pair, who Kendrick says have been sailing around the world for the last two years, was transported to a hospital. There’s no word on their condition.