Sailboat in Hagg Lake capsizes; people, dog rescued

PORTLAND, Ore. (KOIN) -- Two people and a dog were rescued from the middle of Hagg Lake Saturday night, then helped the rescuers figure out how to right the 25-foot sailboat that had capsized.

The rescue began around 7 p.m., the Gaston Rural Fire District posted on their Facebook page. Crews from both Gaston Fire and the Washington County Sheriff's Office rushed to the lake and spotted the boat about halfway between the Eagle Point boat ramp and the dam.

The sailboat was overturned in the lake, but the people and their dog were sitting on the hull, officials said. When the sheriff's boat arrived, they brought the people and dog back to the boat ramp.

Then the rescue teams had to try and right the boat -- but officials said none of them had ever done that.

"(T)he owner walked us through the process and then we applied a lot of ropes and energy," the fire district said, noting they were able to save the sailboat and its 25-foot mast "with very little damage during the accident or retrieval."

Officials said neither the people nor the dog were hurt, but they were cold and wet when they got to the boat ramp.