SAN DIEGO — The sick baby rescued from a crippled sailboat hundreds of miles at sea is in stable condition aboard the frigate Vandegrift, which is set to return to its home port here Wednesday, officials announced Monday afternoon.

The 1-year-old girl was suffering from a high fever and a severe rash when her parents made a distress call Thursday to the Coast Guard.

By Thursday night, four men from the California Air National Guard trained as paramedics had parachuted into the ocean and were aboard the sailboat.

The girl, her 3-year-old sister and their parents, Eric and Charlotte Kaufman, were taken aboard the Vandegrift at daybreak Sunday.

Despite a clamor among some in the public, the Coast Guard announced Monday it will not be charging the Kaufmans for the cost of the complex search and rescue mission.

The Coast Guard does not charge for such missions, said Coast Guard spokeswoman Lt. Anna Dixon.


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