3 people, dog rescued 35 miles off Clearwater coast

Kevin Accettulla
·1 min read
5

TAMPA, Fla. (WFLA) — Three people and a dog were rescued on Monday morning 35 miles off the Clearwater coast, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

Three people reported that their boat was taking on water at about 5:30 a.m. By 6:45 a.m., the Coast Guard had found the boat.

A rescue swimmer swam two people from the boat to a response boat. Two crewman boarded the boat and saw the water was entering through a broken window.

The Coast Guard used a mattress and boat hooks to plug the window and stop the flooding.

Courtesy: U.S. Coast Guard
Courtesy: U.S. Coast Guard

“Coast Guard crews constantly train for shipboard emergencies to mitigate flooding, and part of that training includes improvising in emergency situations,” a Coast Guard operations officer said in a statement. “When we saw water filling the lower cabin area through a hole that big, improvise is exactly what we did. I couldn’t be prouder of all our crews today for upholding the highest Coast Guard standard and ensuring the best possible outcome.”

The passengers were taken to Clearwater Harbor Marina by 6:30 p.m. without any reported injuries, according to the Coast Guard.

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