Pair from Novato Unharmed After Helicopter Cliff Rescue

Two people from Novato were rescued by helicopter Friday afternoon after they were stranded on a cliff about 250 feet above McClure's Beach in West Marin County.

The Sonoma County Sheriff's Office said its Henry 1 helicopter plucked the man and woman, whose names were not released, off a cliff at Pierce Point just after 3 p.m. The people said they were lost on the beach and tried to climb up when they got stuck and used a cell phone to call for help, according to a sheriff's office release.

Rescuers said the pair were in jeopardy of slipping and falling when Henry 1 spotted them less than 50 feet from the top of the cliff. The woman was using her legs to brace herself and prevent herself from slipping, and the man was about 20 feet away from her holding onto some rocks for support.

The helicopter landed and dropped a 100-foot rope with a horse collar attached at the end. Medic Scott Freedman went down and attached the woman to the collar and pulled her up with help from helicopter pilot Paul Bradley at the controls. Freedman then went back down and hooked up the stranded man to the device, and Bradley flew him to safety as well.

Neither cliff climber was harmed.

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