Rescuers recover missing woman after sailboat capsizes off north coast

Two women set sail from Evanston before their boat capsized at dusk more than two miles from the Winnetka shore.

June 17, 2024, 9:54 a.m. CDT | Update June 17, 2024, 10:03 a.m. CDT

WINNETKA, Ill. — Rescuers found a woman in Lake Michigan Monday morning who had spent the night in the water after her boat capsized, officials said.

Two women in their 50s reportedly left Evanston on Sunday aboard a 12-foot sailboat, which capsized at dusk.

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One of the women managed to swim the two to three miles to shore in Winnetka, reaching Tower Road Beach around 2 a.m. Monday and informing authorities of her companion's disappearance.

The Coast Guard and local fire departments launched a search and rescue operation from Lloyd Beach, using boats, drones and helicopters.

After several hours of searching, a Chicago Fire Department helicopter located the missing woman around 7 a.m. Monday, about a mile offshore, north of Winnetka, and took her to Montrose Harbor in Chicago.

Rescuers performed CPR on the woman on the shore and took her to Weiss Memorial Hospital in critical condition, according to a Chicago Fire Department spokesperson.

Both boaters were wearing life jackets when they entered the water.

The rescue operation came a day after a 58-year-old man fell from a boat in Chicago's “Playpen,” the popular boating area near Oak Street Beach and Navy Pier. His body had not been found as of Sunday evening.