The Coast Guard rescued a pair of crab fishermen on a disabled boat near Bellingham last night amid a strong windstorm that battered the region.

A caller reported the men missing around 8 p.m. after they failed to return to port. The two had departed aboard the 27-foot fishing vessel, Racine, three hours earlier to check their crabbing gear.

A Coast Guard helicopter located the boat anchored near Eliza Island in Bellingham Bay. The men indicated that they were fine, but the boat was “immobile,” the Coast Guard said. The cutter Adelie was sent to pick up the men.

Strong winds, with gusts above 50 knots, were forecast for the Bellingham area last night. Due to the stormy conditions, the Coast Guard decided to remove the men from the boat for their safety and to leave the vessel anchored, rather than try to tow it back to port, said Petty Office David Marin.