POINT ROBERTS, Wash., — September 6, 2013 — Good Samaritans rescued five people from a sinking commercial fishing boat Thursday afternoon, Sept. 5, off the coast of Point Roberts.
The U.S. Coast Guard responded to the 50-foot wooden vessel, Sea Breaker, in distress at 3:35 p.m., said Coast Guard Lt. Raphael Sadowitz. Other fishermen in the area saved the five crew members about 2 1/2 miles southeast of Point Roberts, where the water is close to 200 feet deep. None among the rescued crew needed medical aid.
Dustin Terpening, a spokesman for the state Department of Ecology, said the boat capsized before sinking, but authorities aren't sure why.
Sadowitz didn't know what the fishermen were fishing for. No details were available Friday about the rescuers.