Man, 2 dogs rescued after sailboat strikes rocks off Vancouver Island

A sailor and his two dogs are recovering on Vancouver Island thanks to life-saving action by the United States Coast Guard.

The man and his canine companions were aboard a small sailboat off the southwest tip of Vancouver Island early Wednesday when it lost power and was swept onto rocks amid heavy waves.

A social media post from the coast guardsays a helicopter crew from Port Angeles in Washington state responded to the emergency around 1 a.m. PT Wednesday.

They winched the man and one dog from the sailboat and delivered them to the Canadian Coast Guard Station inVictoria for treatment.

It wasn't until the crew returned to the wreck to assess possible environmental damage, around 11 a.m. Wednesday,that the second dog was spotted.

The coast guard says the pet was safely lifted off the sailboat and reunited with its owner. Victoria's Joint Rescue Coordination Centre helped in the rescue, according to the coast guard.

Lt. John Schultz, a pilot at the Port Angeles air station, thanked two coast guard aviation technicians Austen Marshall and Lucas Wengrin for their "phenomenal" job during the rescue.

"Their patience and technical expertise in a highly dynamic environment directly lead to the safe recovery of the mariner and his two dogs. We are thankful for the happy outcome!" he said in a statement.