CLEARWATER, Fla. — Three people and one dog are back on land safely after Coast Guard crews rescued them Monday off the coast of Clearwater.
According to a news release, the Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg watchstanders received a distress call at 5:30 a.m. from three people 35 miles west of Clearwater saying their 47-foot vessel began taking on water.
A helicopter aircrew from the Coast Guard Air Station in Clearwater and a Coast Guard Station Sand Key boat crew would later find all three boaters at around 6:45 a.m. on their vessel.
The agency says the aircrew sent their rescue swimmer and was able to retrieve two boaters from the vessel to the response boat in 5-6 foot seas and 10-15 knot winds.
The boat crew reportedly retrieved both of them and then sent two of their crewmen to the vessel with a Coast Guard P6 pump to dewater the vessel.
When they were able to get on board, the crew found a broken window that was letting the water through. They used a mattress and boat hooks to plug and shore the window to stop the flooding, the release said.
Authorities say they were able to escort the vessel and all passengers at around 6:30 p.m. to Clearwater Harbor Marina with no reported injuries.
