Some seasick sailors ended up getting a bit more of a response to their call for help than they may have expected in the waters off southern Vancouver Island on Sunday.

According to Capt. Zlatko Neral at the Joint Rescue Coordination Centre in Victoria, someone made a distress call on marine radio saying their captain had passed out.

With few details to work with, a search was quickly launched to find the unidentified sailboat.

Two Canadian Coast Guard lifeboats and two smaller rescue boats were soon joined in the search by a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter that happened to be passing through the area.

'We've got to go'

The 26-foot sailboat was eventually located near Sooke and the helicopter lowered a rescue swimmer into the water.

A woman from the boat was then hoisted into the helicopter and transferred to Victoria where she was turned over to the waiting paramedics, who took her to hospital for treatment.

That's when she announced that she was just seasick.

"I don't even know why they would call for something like that," said Neral. "Somebody calls for help, we've got to go... I'm sure they weren't expecting a helicopter."

A woman was hoisted off a boat into into a U.S. Coast Guard helicopter on Sunday near Sooke. (U.S. Coast Guard)

The sailboat and remaining sailor were eventually towed back to Victoria by a civilian boat that aided in the rescue.

Officials are still investigating the incident.