14 boaters rescued off Florida gulf coast in 1 week, Coast Guard says
It was a busy week for the U.S. Coast Guard in St. Petersburg.
Seventeen distress and marine safety calls led to the rescue of 14 boaters since April 12, Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg said in a news release Friday.
It started around 11 p.m. April 12, when Coast Guard watchstanders received a mayday call from three people reporting that their 47-foot commercial fishing boat was sinking 1 mile southwest of John’s Pass. The three people were found floating next to their boat, which was partially submerged and run aground, about 11:10 p.m. They were taken to John’s Pass Marina for care from emergency medical services.
The boaters worked with commercial salvage to coordinate the recovery of their vessel, and 605 gallons of diesel were pumped from the fuel tank Monday. The vessel was towed to Snug Harbor Boatworks on Tuesday, and no pollution was reported, the news release states.
Also on Monday, watchstanders received a distress call from three people aboard a disabled 20-foot vessel about 22 miles west of Egmont Key around 3:30 p.m. A boat crew from Coast Guard Station Cortez found the vessel around 7:45 p.m. and towed it to Egmont Channel. A search-and-rescue boat crew from Eckerd College towed the vessel from Egmont Channel to the Fort De Soto Boat Ramp.
On Tuesday, dispatchers from the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office reported a person aboard a “disabled personal watercraft” near the Courtney Campbell Causeway around 3:30 p.m. A boat crew from Coast Guard Station St. Petersburg retrieved the person and towed their vessel to the Courtney Campbell Boat Ramp.
On Thursday, Pinellas sheriff’s office dispatchers again contacted the Coast Guard — this time for three people whose boat ran out of fuel about 14 miles west of Egmont Key around 1:45 p.m. A Coast Guard crew from St. Petersburg found the three people aboard the 21-foot vessel around 3:15 p.m. and towed it to Egmont Channel. An Eckerd College search-and-rescue boat crew towed the vessel from Egmont Channel to Fort De Soto Boat Ramp.
Around 2 p.m. Thursday, Coast Guard watchstanders received an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon alert and mayday call from four people aboard a 30-foot vessel 30 miles west of Venice. An aircrew from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater found the four people around 3 p.m. A boat crew from Coast Guard Station Cortez fixed the steering and escorted the vessel to Station Cortez.
No injuries were reported in any of the incidents, the Coast Guard said. In a statement, Capt. Michael P. Kahle, commander of Sector St. Petersburg, stressed the importance of having a communication device on your boat.
“Having a working marine VHF radio, a well-charged cellphone in a waterproof case and a properly registered EPIRB and PLB, can and will help save your life in a time of distress,” Kahle said in the statement.
