On Tuesday morning, the US Coast Guard rescued four people who were on the overturned hull of a recreational vessel, approximately 26 nautical miles off the coast of Clearwater, Florida. The four castaways were stranded in the middle of the sea for about 20 hours.
The four family members aboard the vessel had departed on Monday around 09:30 to go offshore, planning to return in the afternoon. Around 21:00 on Monday evening, a family member on land contacted the Coast Guard and reported that the 7-meter-long small craft was overdue, and they were unable to communicate with it.
The St. Petersburg Sector Coast Guard ordered the start of a search and rescue operation, dispatching several units, including an HC-144 SAR aircraft, which eventually located the vessel around 07:15 on Tuesday. The vessel was capsized and adrift in good weather conditions with wave heights below one meter and winds of 2-3 Beaufort. The aircraft crew dropped an inflatable life raft into the sea and also notified the corresponding Coast Guard vessel.
A short time later, a Coast Guard response boat arrived on scene from Station Sand Key and rescued the four people. All four were in relatively good condition. The Coast Guard transported them to Station Sand Key for evaluation.
The survivors are Dennis Woods, 70 years old, Clarence Woods, 90 years old, Cris Harding Sr., 42 years old, and Chris Harding Jr., 18 years old. Woods stated to Fox News that water had filled one side of the catamaran and that it capsized in about five minutes. The water temperatures near Clearwater were approximately 22 degrees Celsius, within the survival range for an extended period.
“Through the efforts of the Coast Guard and partner agencies, we were able to safely recover the missing passengers and reunite them with their loved ones,” stated Ensign Gaige Garrett, Operational Unit Controller at the St. Petersburg Sector Command Center. “We want to remind anyone going out on the water to have all necessary safety equipment, including Coast Guard-approved life jackets, a VHF radio, signaling devices, and an emergency position indicating radio beacon or personal locator beacon.”
