Four Americans were rescued from a life raft on Tuesday, January 21, after their sailing vessel, Mariposa, struck a submerged rock and sank into the Atlantic Ocean north of the Dominican Republic, according to the United States Coast Guard (USCG).The rescue was carried out by a Coast Guard HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircrew from Air Station Miami, the crew of a container ship, El Coqui, and fishermen aboard a vessel called Bonanza, the coast guard said.“The survivors were forced to abandon the sailing vessel Mariposa moments earlier after the vessel sank near the Silver Bank area,” according to the USCG. The four boaters, who included three men in their 60s and a fourth in his mid-20s, were rescued by the fishing crew, who then transferred them to the US-flagged El Coqui to be transported back to Jacksonville, Florida, they said.The survivors were expected to arrive in Jacksonville on Thursday. There were no reports of injuries.The coast guard said the rescue was hastened thanks to the Search and Rescue Satellite Aided Tracking (SARSAT) system, “which provided vessel profile information and various emergency contacts for the sailing vessel Mariposa,” and due to the Mariposa’s Emergency Positioning Radio Beacon being registered with the National Oceanic Atmospheric Administration (NOAA).“This incident underscores the importance of proper emergency equipment for vessels at sea,” said Lt Hannah Boyce, commander of the USCG aircraft that was involved in the rescue. “We are all incredibly thankful those mariners were properly equipped. Helping those four sailors at their worst day at sea is why we fly.” Credit: US Coast Guard via Storyful