LAKE MICHIGAN (Tribune News Service) — The U.S. Coast Guard rescued five people suffering from hypothermia and seasickness after a boat was reported to be taking on water in Lake Michigan Wednesday night.

The rescue effort began about 9:30 p.m. when the Coast Guard received word about the foundering vessel. It happened as a severe line of thunderstorms and heavy rain raked across the big lake.

A Good Samaritan notified the Coast Guard that the boat was in distress. It had lost its rudder and was taking on water off the shore of Kewaunee, Wis., according to a news release.

A helicopter crew from Air Station Traverse City, Mich., assisted with the rescue.

“The swift, coordinated response to last night’s boating emergency was a result of countless hours of training to include training with station personnel and assets like Station Sturgeon Bay,” said Lt. j.g. Nicholas Betts, public affair officer at Air Station Traverse City. “Thanks to the cooperative efforts of our crew, the station crew and the command center, we were able to save five lives last night.”

The rescue happened during a severe thunderstorm that had winds whipping across the lake and brought heavy rain. The Coast Guard said it initially issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast about the vessel in distress and launched an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Traverse City. A 45-foot Response Boat crew from Station Sturgeon Bay in Wisconsin was also launched.

The boat’s crew was rescued from the water, the Coast Guard said. They were taken to the Kewaunee Municipal Marina in Wisconsin, then brought to an emergency medical services location so they could be evaluated.

While the name of the boat has not been released by the Coast Guard, officials with Michigan’s Bayview Mackinac Race said the boat was one of several vessels that had been traveling to Chicago to compete in this weekend’s Chicago Yacht Club Race to Mackinac.

“Boats traveling to Chicago for the Chicago Yacht Club Race To Mackinac were hit by a big storm on Lake Michigan last night,” Bayview Mackinac Race staff posted on their social media page today. “Our thoughts are with the crew of Red Herring; all are safe thanks to the efforts of the United States Coast Guard!”

It’s unclear if the boat was able to be salvaged. The Coast Guard has not yet responded to a message seeking an update on the rescue effort.

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