A Florida boater was rescued twice by the US Coast Guard this week, with the second rescue showing him clinging to a cooler in the Gulf waters. The first incident occurred on Monday when the captain of a fishing vessel reported to Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg watch standers that he and a crew member were disabled 20 miles off John’s Pass near St. Petersburg, Florida. A Coast Guard rescue boat crew and a rescue helicopter crew arrived to airlift the two individuals back to Air Station Clearwater in good condition.
The vessel was left adrift, and salvage arrangements were to be made following the rescue. The second rescue took place on Wednesday afternoon when the boat’s owner reported that the captain had gone out to make repairs to the boat in the early hours of the morning and had not checked in. The captain reported that the rudder was fouled with a line, causing the boat to become disabled during the transit back to port.
Despite facing challenging weather conditions with 6-8 foot seas and 30 mph winds, the Coast Guard instructed the captain to wear a life jacket and stay with the vessel’s emergency position. Communication was lost with the captain on Wednesday evening, prompting the launch of a Coast Guard Air Station Miami helicopter on Thursday morning.
The captain was eventually recovered about 30 miles off Longboat Key, clinging to a cooler and wearing a life vest. He was flown to Tampa General Hospital for medical attention. Lt. Cmdr. Dana Grady, Sector St. Petersburg’s command center chief, highlighted the severity of the hurricane conditions the captain endured, estimating winds of 75-90 mph and seas of 20-25 feet for an extended period.
Grady emphasized the importance of safety equipment such as life jackets, emergency position indicating locator beacons, and coolers in aiding the captain's survival in such extreme circumstances.
