Rescue video: Coast Guard saves Florida boaters stranded after losing sail during Hurricane Debby
After losing their sail 73 miles off Boca Grande, the boaters found themselves stranded at sea.
A Coast Guard helicopter team saved two Florida boaters who were adrift 73 miles offshore during Hurricane Debby.
On Sunday, off the coast of Boca Grande, a 34-foot boat lost its sail, according to a press release from the U.S. Coast Guard.
The rescue mission was initiated at 5 p.m. the previous day, following a call from the boaters' friends to the St. Petersburg Coast Guard station, reporting that the two men had failed to arrive at their scheduled check-in while sailing from Key West to Tarpon Springs.
The stranded boaters were spotted by an Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane rescue crew at 11 a.m. the next day, despite challenging weather conditions with low visibility, 15- to 20-foot seas, and 50-knot winds.
The pair was lifted into a helicopter by the crew and transported to Air Station Clearwater.
Lt. Cmdr. Christopher Hooper, a search and rescue mission coordinator at Coast Guard District Seven, stated that accurate information and safety equipment are crucial factors in any search and rescue case.
"The boaters were successfully located after receiving an updated satellite position from their friend, which was a collaborative effort between District Seven and Sector St. Petersburg during Tropical Storm Debby."
A tropical storm named Debby, which was initially a Category 1 hurricane, made landfall in Florida's Big Bend region early Monday morning, resulting in the death of at least five people in Florida and Georgia, as reported by Fox Weather.
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