U.S. Coast Guard Rescues Four Clinging to Capsized Boat After All-Night Search

Coast Guard crews successfully rescued four people after their 24-foot vessel capsized approximately 26 miles west of Clearwater in what became a multi-agency search and rescue operation spanning nearly 10 hours.

The rescue effort began late Monday evening when a family member reported the vessel overdue to Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg watchstanders at 9:08 p.m.The search intensified overnight as multiple Coast Guard assets were deployed to locate the missing boaters in the Gulf of Mexico.

An Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircrew located the four boaters clinging to their capsized vessel at 7:15 a.m. Tuesday morning. The aircrew found them in moderate conditions, with 2 to 3-foot seas and 5 to 10 knot winds. To assist in the rescue, the aircraft deployed a life raft and a Mk-58 marine location marker to guide surface units to the vessel’s position.

A Coast Guard Station Sand Key boat crew reached the scene and transported all four boaters to safety. The survivors were in stable condition and were transferred to awaiting emergency medical services personnel at Station Sand Key.

“Through the efforts of multiple Coast Guard crews and partner agencies we were able to safely recover the missing boaters and reunite them with their loved ones,” said Ensign Gaige Garrett, Operational Unit Controller at Sector St Petersburg Command Center.

Garrett used the incident to emphasize the importance of proper safety equipment for recreational boaters. “We want to remind anyone going out on the water to have all necessary safety equipment to include Coast Guard approved life jackets, VHF radio, signaling devices and an emergency position locator beacon or personal locator beacon,” he said.

Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg maintains a continuous watch while monitoring VHF Channel 16 and coordinates directly with partner agencies to deploy Coast Guard assets at a moment’s notice for emergent search and rescue cases.

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