Accidents of the Week - December 2, 2023
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Coast Guard Saves Couple, Dog from Sailboat
11/18/23 – Hernando Beach, FL
A couple and their pup were stranded in a sailboat taking on water about 90 miles off Hernando Beach on the west coast of Florida.
A porthole broke, and water filled their vessel, according to the U.S. Coast Guard, which released video of its helicopter crew rescuing the trio. A Coast Guard chopper hovered above the boat in the Gulf of Mexico as the aircrew pulled the couple and their dog to safety. Everyone is in “good health,” the Coast Guard said in a press release.
Coast Guard Notified by DSC Alert
The Coast Guard received a digital selective caller (DSC) alert at around 11 a.m. on 18 November. The water damaged the electronics on the boat, according to the Coast Guard, but the DSC alert instantly pushed a distress alert to the Coast Guard and other rescue authorities.
“Due to the reported water ruining the system, this alert gave us their last known position and allowed us to investigate because the owners registered it to their equipment,” Lt. J.G. Connor Sullivan, command duty officer, Sector St. Petersburg, said in a statement. That’s how they were able to find and rescue the family.
Salvage for the vessel was being coordinated, the Coast Guard said.
Coast Guard Rescues Sailor in Tattered Vessel off Hatteras
11/16/23 – Hatteras, NC
An overdue sailor from New Jersey was found alive aboard a tattered vessel adrift nearly 300 miles off the coast of North Carolina on 15 November.
The sailor had departed from Jersey City, New Jersey, en route to Bermuda but on 6 November he lost communication with family members, the U.S. Coast Guard (USCG) said in a news release on 16 November. The family told officials that he was considered overdue as of 14 November.
Sailboat Spotted by Good Samaritan after Urgent Marine Message
The Coast Guard Atlantic Area command center issued an urgent marine message broadcasting a description of the man’s boat to other sailors. Cmdr. Wes Geyer, search and rescue mission coordinator, described the search area as "nearly twice the size of Texas" and the seas as "very unforgiving."
A good Samaritan aboard the sailing vessel Time Bandit heard the message and encountered another vessel adrift with tattered sails and a missing boom 270 miles off Hatteras, North Carolina. The vessel matched the description of the overdue mariner’s boat, officials said. The good Samaritan was able to communicate with the overdue mariner, though the Coast Guard advised against an at-sea transfer due to sea conditions at the time.
The crew of the Coast Guard Cutter Lawrence Lawson based in Cape May, New Jersey, arrived on scene on 15 November and safely transferred the overdue sailor aboard the vessel in stable condition. The crew reunited the mariner with family the following day at Coast Guard Training Center Cape May.
"We are pleased that this case resulted in a family reunion," Geyer said. Officials did not immediately release the identity of the sailor.
Four Rescued after Boat Overturns at Port Miami
11/22/23 – Miami, FL
Several people were rescued after their boat overturned in Port Miami. Miami-Dade Fire Rescue units arrived in the area late afternoon on 22 November. U.S. Coast Guard were also at the scene and were able to pluck the boaters from the water.
A local news chopper hovered over the scene where the boaters sat on a support vessel. Another vessel had a light pointed towards the water, where the capsized vessel lay. It was unknown how the vessel had sunk. No injuries were reported.
Coast Guard Suspends Search for Missing Fisherman off Maine Coast
11/16/23 – Kennebunkport, ME
The U.S. Coast Guard said they had suspended their search for fisherman Scott Cluff, who went missing off the coast of Kennebunkport in Maine on 16 November.
Cluff was supposed to come back to shore on the afternoon of 16 November but he never returned. The following morning, his boat and other belongings were found, but there was no sign of him. Authorities said all signs pointed to him likely having gone into the water.
The U.S. Coast Guard reported that over 700 square nautical miles had been searched by the U.S. Coast Guard, Maine Marine Patrol, Kennebunkport Police Department, York County, and the Cape Porpoise Harbormaster.