Two people were rescued Thanksgiving Day after their boat ran aground at Santa Cruz Island, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

At about 10 a.m. Thursday, the Coast Guard command center in Long Beach received an emergency notification from the sailing vessel LULA in the vicinity of the island.

Two people who were aboard had abandoned the boat while on the rocks and left it adrift, the Coast Guard said.

A Coast Guard helicopter from Point Mugu and a 45-foot response boat from Channel Island Harbor were dispatched to the incident.

“Once on scene, the helicopter and response boat crews determined that due to unsafe conditions on the rocks, the best course of action would be to rescue the mariners in distress via helicopter,” the Coast Guard said. “They were safely hoisted aboard the helicopter and transported to Point Mugu.”

“Thankfully, they had a DSC-equipped radio, which is how we were able to locate them,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Tate Lewis, a member of the helicopter rescue team. “We are grateful we were able to conduct a safe rescue and get them home to their families in time for Thanksgiving.”

— Noozhawk executive editor Tom Bolton can be reached at tbolton@noozhawk.com. Follow Noozhawk on Twitter: @noozhawk, @NoozhawkNews and @NoozhawkBiz. Connect with Noozhawk on Facebook.