4 Rescued After Boat Capsizes During Sailing Lesson

Four people out for a sailing lesson on the windswept Potomac River got unexpected practice in treading water yesterday before being plucked from the cold currents by the Coast Guard and the D.C. fire department, authorities said.

Authorities said the boat capsized around 10:30 a.m. in the Alexandria area. The sailboat was estimated to be 17 to 19 feet long.

"The wind picked up incredibly, and they were gone," said Alan Etter, a spokesman for the D.C. Fire and Emergency Medical Services Department.

The day sparkled under a sun that had gone largely unseen in the Washington area for days. But the wind rose to 16 miles an hour at Reagan National Airport as the morning went on. It suddenly became gusty, with one gust reported at 29 miles an hour.

"It's a great thing they were wearing their life jackets," Eric Ciuca, Coast Guard petty officer second class, said of the two men and two women in the water. "The situation could have turned worse."

A Coast Guard spokeswoman said the four, an instructor and three students, were uninjured, although one or more reportedly spoke of the cold.

Etter said the fireboat was nearby because it had been called out earlier for another capsize. That incident was apparently resolved safely.