ST. PETERSBURG, Fla.— The Coast Guard rescued two boaters Thursday after their boat took on water 12 miles west of Egmont Key.
Watch standers from Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg received a mayday call at 6:03 p.m. via VHF-FM marine band radio channel 16. A man stated his 21-foot boat was taking on water due to a 2-foot crack in the hull and was in need of emergency assistance. Coast Guard boat crews from Station St. Petersburg, Station Cortez and the Coast Guard Cutter Hawk, an 87-foot patrol boat homeported in St. Petersburg, responded. The Hawk arrived on scene and provided dewatering assistance, which enabled the vessel to remain safely afloat for its transit back to Bunces Pass. A 29-foot Response Boat-Small (RB-S) crew from Station Cortez and a 45-foot Response Boat-Medium (RB-M) crew from Station St. Petersburg provided safe escort during the boats transit. “Thankfully they had radio communications on board and we were alerted quickly,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Whitney Drake, crew member at Station St. Cortez. “It’s always great to get out there in time before a bad situation gets any worse.”
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