A Coast Guard Station Sand Key 45-foot Response Boat-Medium boatcrew recovers a man and woman from an overturned 24-foot vessel 14 miles off Clearwater, Florida March 21, 2020. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)
ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. — The Coast Guard rescued two boaters from an overturned 24-foot vessel 14 miles off Clearwater, Saturday.
A Coast Guard Station Sand Key 45-foot Response Boat-Medium boat crew recovered a man and woman from the sinking vessel and took them to Clearwater City Marina without any medical injuries or concerns.
Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg watchstanders were notified by a personal location beacon that had been activated by one of the boaters. They were located by a Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater HC-130 Hercules aircrew. An MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter aircrew was also on scene. The vessel will be recovered by commercial salvage.
“Having a personal location beacon made a big difference in this case,” said Senior Chief Petty Officer Angel Ramos, the command duty officer at Sector St. Petersburg. “Cell phones don’t always work offshore and these devices allow us to begin a search from a last known position.”
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