BARNEGAT LIGHT – A man attempting a nautical voyage from New York to Scotland was rescued off the coast of Barnegat Light by Coast Guard crew members, after being thwarted by bad weather.
Duncan Hutchison was rescued approximately 20 miles east of Barnegat Light on Monday morning, June 4. He was traveling in the rowboat Sleipnir when he notified the Watchstanders at Coast Guard Sector Delaware Bay of bad weather via VHF-FM channel 16.
The weather on-scene was reported to be 21 mph winds and 8.5 foot seas.
Hutchison was rescued by a 47-foot Motor Lifeboat (MLB) crew from Station Barnegat Light, where he was removed from the rowboat and moved to the MLB.
“It was great to use my skills as a Surfman to navigate the heavy seas and wind, and my crew did an outstanding job making this a successful rescue,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Eric Thornton, the coxswain on the MLB.
“We highly recommended always checking the weather before departing on any ocean excursion because conditions can change instantly. Thankfully Hutchison was well prepared and hailed us on his VHF marine radio on channel 16. We were able to pinpoint his location by using our Rescue 21 radio system, and that saved his life,” he added.
