Coast Guard Rescues 4 After Sailboat Sinks off Barnegat Inlet

The U.S. Coast Guard rescued four people from a sailboat that sank just off Barnegat Inlet on Thursday night, officials said Friday.

The 38-foot sailing vessel 'Odes of Joy' struck a sunken jetty feet beyond the inlet's north end Thursday night around 7 p.m.

Coast Guard watchstanders received an emergency radio hail at approximately 7:20 p.m. from crewmembers aboard the boat, reporting their vessel was rapidly taking on water and in need of assistance, according to a statement from Public Affairs Detachment Atlantic City.

A 47-foot Motor Life Boat crew from Coast Guard Station Barnegat Light arrived on scene and rescued the four people from the sinking vessel. They were transported back to the station where they were reported in good condition, officials said.

Submerged – and often invisible – rocks off the north jetty of the inlet are a well-known hazard to mariners in southern Ocean County, and the navigational aid beacon on the inlet's north side is positioned east of where the visible jetty ends in order to help boaters avoid the sunken rocks.