Three people were rescued from the water Friday off the coast of Portsmouth, New Hampshire.
The U.S. Coast Guard responded to a beacon on a 42-foot sail boat that overturned.
The people were on the bottom of the boat when rescuers arrived.
"A vessel is significantly easier to spot in the ocean than a person," Lt. Robert Turley, the pilot of the MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter that responded, said in a statement. "Mariners who stay with their vessel help take some of the search out of 'search and rescue,' and this undoubtedly contributed to the success of this case."
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All three of the people who were rescued are safe.
