Coast Guard assists adrift motor yacht 37 nautical miles southeast of Key West

Mar 11th, 2011 · Comments Off

Crewmembers from the Coast Guard Cutter Key Biscayne assist the crew of an adrift motor yacht near Key West March 11, 2011. The 36-foot Canadian-flagged vessel lost steering, and its crew contacted the Coast Guard for help. U.S. Coast Guard photo by Lt. j.g. Bridget Flores.

Crewmembers from the Coast Guard Cutter Key Biscayne assist the crew of an adrift motor yacht near Key West March 11, 2011. Coast Guard photo by Lt. j.g. Bridget Flores.

KEY WEST, Fla. – The Coast Guard responded to an adrift 36-foot motor yacht with two people and a dog aboard approximately 37 nautical miles southeast of Key West Friday.

The Mandi Ross, a Canadian-flagged vessel, departed from Marina Hemingway in Havana early Thursday morning en route to Key West. At 6:54 a.m. Friday, the vessel lost steering in 20-knot winds and 6- to 8-foot seas and contacted Coast Guard Sector Key West for assistance.

Coast Guard Sector Key West search and rescue coordinators immediately diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Key Biscayne, which arrived on scene with the Mandi Ross at 10:20 a.m. and took the vessel in tow en route to the Key West Sea Buoy.

Once on scene at the Key West Sea Buoy, the crew of the cutter Key Biscayne will transfer the tow to a commercial assistance provider for further disposition.