The US Coast Guard rescued two people aboard a disabled sailing vessel approximately 60 miles northwest of Marathon, on Sunday.
Coast Guard Seventh District watchstanders received a personal locating beacon alert at approximately 2:30 a.m. Coast Guard Air Station Miami launched an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crew who located the disabled 50-foot sailing vessel, White Pearl, and requested a nearby good Samaritan aboard the sailing vessel, Mystic, to monitor the situation until a Station Key West small boat crew arrived on scene.
The Station Key West crew took the vessel in tow and transferred the tow over to commercial salvage, who brought the disabled vessel to Fleming Key with no reported injuries.
“This case is a perfect example of proper boater preparation, inter-agency partners and the boating public coming together to save lives,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Tom Gargiulo, a Station Key West engineer. “We strongly encourage everyone taking to the seas to have personal locator beacons or electronic position indicating radio beacons ready to go. They can be the difference between life and death in some cases.”
-USCG-
