Two Tampa Rescues

Day in and day out the US Coast Guard is hard at work rescuing folks from precarious situations across America's waterways.

Tuesday in Tampa, however, was busier than usual.

The Coast Guard was called to the aid of a 21-foot boat Tuesday morning that was taking on water. The vessel was about 30 miles west of Anclote Key off Tampa, which is quite a distance for a boat of that size. All five people aboard were returned safely to shore, complete with a free ride upon a CG helicopter (see video).



Later in the day, a woman called authorities because her husband had not returned from a trip to test his boat’s engine. The Coast Guard found the man floating in a raft near Clearwater Pass, not far from his sinking 33-ft Bertram. The St. Petersburg Times reports that the man was able to be located because he used an EPIRB. Other than hitting a submerged object, this man did everything right in order to make his rescue more likely – he not only had an EPIRB (Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon), but he had also filed a float plan with his wife and had a life raft onboard.

In the news: Miami Herald. St. Petersburg Times.