Coast Guard and Good Samaritan Rescued Five Boaters Off Anclote Key
SAND KEY, Fla. — The Coast Guard and a good Samaritan rescued five boaters Thursday after their 30-foot boat capsized 22 miles west of Anclote Key.
Rescued were Carollwood natives Jason Holmes, 42, and David C. O’Neal; Todd Mack, 53, from Hudson, Michael Redding, 68, from Temple Terrace, and Jeff Kennedy, 60.
At 10:05 a.m., an Air Station Clearwater HC-130 Hercules airplane crew on a training flight spotted five boaters clinging to debris and immediately deployed a life raft. Sector St. Petersburg watchstanders issued an Urgent Marine Information Broadcast via VHF-FM radio channel 16. A good Samaritan aboard the “Two Georges”, a charter fishing boat from Tarpon Springs, responded to the broadcast and rescued the boaters from the water.
Mack, one of the rescued boaters, said when the boat started sinking the men began throwing life jackets, coolers and safety gear in the water. “Most importantly we had an EPIRB.”
Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacons send boaters’ positions to rescue personnel once activated in an emergency. Coast Guard District Seven watchstanders received the EPIRB signal, but the Hercules crew had already spotted the five boaters in the water.
“It was a wonderful sight,” said Mack, who saw the Hercules crew about 15 minutes after entering the water.
A Coast Guard Station Sand Key 45-foot Response Boat-Medium crew was launched. The boatcrew transferred the boaters from the Two Georges to the RB-M and transported them back to the station with no reported injuries.
“Readily accessible safety equipment is so important,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Matthew Whitaker, a Station Sand Key crewmember who transported the boaters to shore. “We recommend all boaters have a registered EPIRB, and know where all their equipment is in case of an emergency.”