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MIAMI — Two men are safe after the Coast Guard rescued them from their partially submerged vessel near Everglades National Park Tuesday morning.
Coast Guard 7th District Command Center watchstanders received an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon signal Tuesday morning, quickly triangulated the area to search and launched a Coast Guard Air Station Miami MH-65 dolphin rescue helicopter crew along with a Coast Guard Station Marathon boatcrew to assist. Both assets arrived on scene within an hour and found two men knee deep in water aboard their partially submerged sailboat 10 miles west of Flamingo Marina, Florida.
The smallboat crew safely pulled the two men from the vessel using heaving lines due to the shallow depth of water and the possibility of running aground themselves.
The pair later stated they had been taking on water since midnight thinking they could handle the flooding but were unsuccessful. Both men were taken to Flamingo Marina with no injuries where a family member was waiting.
The Coast Guard urges all boaters, especially those transiting offshore or to remote areas to carry an EPIRB or a Personal Locator Beacon. EPIRBs and PLBs save valuable time during maritime emergencies by transmitting electronic distress signals and GPS coordinates. When EPIRBs are properly registered, they also provide first responders with owners’ contact information and vessel descriptions, which is vital information during search and rescue cases.