The Coast Guard rescued a sailor in distress Saturday after his boat took on too much water west of the Columbia River Bar, authorities reported.

The sailor asked for help just after 5 p.m. when his boat’s pump system couldn’t keep up with incoming water. Coast Guard crews located the boat by helicopter at about 5:45 p.m., finding it roughly 10 miles west of the mouth of the Columbia River, in the Pacific Ocean.

A 47-foot Motor Life Boat arrived around 6 p.m. and used a dewatering pump to stabilize the boat. Crews towed it to the Ilwaco Marina in Washington. The sailor did not need medical treatment.

The Columbia River Bar is one of the most dangerous passages in the world.

-- Brad Schmidt

bschmidt@oregonian.com

503-294-7628

@_brad_schmidt

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