Boaters — including 90-year-old — rescued after 20 hours at sea when birthday party fishing trip turns upside down
Four boaters who were stranded atop a capsized 24-foot sailing vessel for 20 hours were rescued off the coast of Clearwater, Florida on Tuesday. US Coast Guard Southeast
A birthday celebration the family will never forget took an unexpected turn when four boaters were stranded atop a capsized sailing vessel for 20 hours off the coast of Clearwater, Florida. The U.S. Coast Guard rescued them 26 miles from shore on Tuesday.
The four relatives set out on a fishing trip from the Seminole Street Boat Ramp in Clearwater around 9:30 a.m. on Monday, expecting to return by 4 p.m., according to the Clearwater Police Department.
When the group did not return as planned, family members reported them missing around 8:30 p.m., sparking a large-scale search. A plane from the U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Miami finally located the capsized 24-foot catamaran, named Money Well Wasted, at approximately 7:15 a.m. Tuesday.
Footage from the HC-144 Ocean Sentry plane showed the four distressed boaters on the underside of their vessel, frantically waving for help. The Coast Guard plane deployed a life raft and a marine location marker to guide a rescue boat to the scene.
The rescued boaters—Dennis Woods, 70; Clarence Woods, 90; Cris Harding Sr., 42; and Chris Harding Jr., 18—were taken to Morton Hospital for treatment and are now in stable condition. They had spent the night atop the capsized catamaran, battling rough waters.
Dennis Woods, who captained the vessel, described how quickly the situation escalated. “Water filled up on one side of the catamaran, and then it made the back of the boat go down low. Water started coming over the back,” he said. “It was probably less than five minutes before it rolled, and I didn’t have time to contact the Coast Guard. We were more worried about getting the life jackets on the 90-year-old and the 18-year-old.”
Reflecting on the ordeal, Woods said, “It was a tough night at sea, but it’s a good birthday now that I’m back on land.”
Ensign Gaige Garrett, Operational Unit Controller at the Sector St. Petersburg Command Center, praised the coordinated response: “Through the efforts of multiple Coast Guard crews and partner agencies, we were able to safely recover the missing boaters and reunite them with their loved ones. We want to remind anyone going out on the water to have all necessary safety equipment, including Coast Guard-approved life jackets, a VHF radio, signaling devices, and an emergency position locator beacon or personal locator beacon.”
The extensive search involved the U.S. Coast Guard, Clearwater Police Department, Clearwater Fire and Rescue, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission.
About Post Author
