Five mariners rescued April 15 by the Coast Guard are scheduled to meet their rescuers Thursday in Clearwater.
The Coast Guard rescued two people from a Sea Tow boat 26 miles west of Cedar Key on April 15.
At 11:04 p.m. Friday watch standers from Sector St. Petersburg received a mayday call via VHF-FM marine band radio channel 16 from a man aboard a Sea Tow boat stating he was beset by weather, his tow line to a 33-foot fishing boat broke, and he was in need of emergency assistance.
(A Coast Guard Air Clearwater MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew rescues two men Saturday, April 15, 2017, from a commercial tow boat 26 miles west of Cedar Key, Florida. U.S. Coast Guard video courtesy of Bridget Bosch and YouTube)
A 27-foot Response Boat crew from Coast Guard Station Yankeetown and an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Clearwater were launched, and the area’s Marine Emergency Response Team was activated.
The Jayhawk crew arrived at 12:19 a.m. Saturday, hoisted the two men from the capsized hull of their boat and transported them to Air Station Clearwater.
No injuries were reported.
The boat crew arrived on scene and placed the 33-foot fishing boat in tow.
They transferred the boat to another Sea Tow boat about 4:30 a.m.
