Man and his dog rescued from sailboat in stormy conditions on the Columbia River

A man and his dog were rescued from a sailboat on the Columbia River on Tuesday night after the pair struggled to get off the boat in stormy conditions.

According to the Vancouver Fire Department, callers to 911 reported about 6:30 p.m. that there was a boater in distress at the Marine Park Boat Launch on the Columbia River east of the I-5 Bridge. Callers said a man and his dog were unable to get close enough to the dock to be able to safely get off the boat.

When firefighters arrived, they saw a 32-foot sailboat was tied to a very unsteady dock, according to the agency. The fire crew tried to help, but the boat was too far from the dock.

The fire crew then called Vancouver Fire Boat 1, hoping the fire boat could push the sailboat to the dock, but the storm made this too dangerous.

A rescue swimmer was able to reach the sailboat and then got the man and his dog onto the fire boat.

“This was a very technical maneuver by Vancouver Fire Boat crew. The Fire Department spend a lot of time and effort to train for these very situations and tonight that training paid off,” according to an agency statement. The rescue required a battalion chief, two fire engines, a truck company, and Vancouver Fire Boat 1, with a total of 14 firefighters.

There were no injuries reported.