CLEARWATER, Fla. — A Coast Guard aircrew medevacked an elderly man after he radioed watch standers reporting engine failure.
The 85-year-old reported that he was also experiencing heart-attack-like symptoms on his boat about one mile south of the Sunshine Skyway Bridge on Sunday.
An air and boat crew came to his rescue, and the boater was transported to Tampa General Hospital for further care, according to a news release.
“The distressed boater did an outstanding job by hailing over Channel 16 for assistance,” said Lt. Casey Skomer, an operations unit controller at Sector St. Petersburg. “Coast Guard units already in the area for training heard the man’s hail and were able to immediately respond and assist the boater in a timely manner.”