208 Haitians on 30-foot sailboat caught en route to U.S.

The Coast Guard has returned 208 Haitians to Port-au-Prince after
finding them jammed onto a "grossly overloaded" 30-foot sailboat that
apparently was in danger of capsizing.

A helicopter searching the Windward Passage, a route illegal migrants
take while going from Haiti to Florida, spotted the boat on Sunday.

After the Coast Guard cutter Vigorous arrived, two rescue boats were
sent to the Haitian vessel because 100 people were seen on the boat's
deck.

"The vessel was observed lolling -- making long, slow rolls --
indicating a stability-critical situation where capsizing was
possible," the Coast Guard said in a statement.

Crew members spent five hours transporting the Haitians to the cutter.
" In all, 159 men, 47 women and two children were rescued, all hungry
and thirsty and some seasick, but in otherwise good condition," the
Coast Guard said.