Photo Release: Coast Guard rescues sailor, dog 30 miles off Horseshoe Beach

united states coast guard 

Photo Release  

April 27, 2017
U.S. Coast Guard 7th District PA Detachment Tampa Bay
Contact: Coast Guard PA Detachment Tampa Bay
(305) 965-4672

Photo Release: Coast Guard rescues sailor, dog 30 miles off Horseshoe Beach

Seaman Joseph Egan, crew member aboard a Coast Guard Station Yankeetown 27-foot Special Purpose Craft-Shallow Water boat, comforts Freddy, a terrier rescued 30 miles west of Horseshoe Beach, Florida, Thursday, April 27, 2017. Freddy and his owner Jim Baxter, 50, were rescued after their 27-foot sailboat’s rudder broke after a three-day voyage rendering the boat disabled. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Jason Andrade) A Coast Guard Station Yankeetown 27-foot Special Purpose Craft-Shallow Water boat crew rescues Jim Baxter, 50, and his dog, Freddy, 30 miles west of Horseshoe Beach, Florida, Thursday, April 27, 2017. Baxter and Freddy were rescued after their 27-foot sailboat’s rudder broke during a three-day voyage rendering the boat disabled. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Jason Andrade) Jim Baxter, 50, and his dog, Freddy, sit on the bow of a Coast Guard Station Yankeetown 27-foot Special Purpose Craft-Shallow Water boat 30 miles west of Horseshoe Beach, Florida, Thursday, April 27, 2017. Baxter and Freddy were rescued after their 27-foot sailboat’s rudder broke during a three-day voyage rendering the boat disabled. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Jason Andrade)
Freddy, a terrier, keeps watch at the bow of a Coast Guard Station Yankeetown 27-foot Special Purpose Craft-Shallow Water boat a mile west of Steinhatchee, Florida, Thursday, April 27, 2017. Freddy and his owner, Jim Baxter, 50, were rescued by the Station Yankeetown boat crew after Baxter's 27-foot sailboat’s rudder broke during a three-day voyage rendering the boat disabled. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Jason Andrade) Shown here is Jim Baxter, 50, and his dog, Freddy, aboard a disabled 27-foot sailboat 30 miles west of Horseshoe Beach, Florida, Thursday, April 27, 2017. A Coast Guard Station Yankeetown 27-foot Special Purpose Craft-Shallow Water boat crew rescued Baxter and Freddy and transported them to Sea Hag Marina in Steinhatchee, Florida. (U.S. Coast Guard photo by Petty Officer 1st Class Jason Andrade)

 

Editors' Note: Click on images to download high resolution versions.

YANKEETOWN, Fla. — The Coast Guard rescued a 50-year-old man and his dog Thursday after the man's sailboat became disabled near Horseshoe Beach.

Rescued was Jim Baxter, 50.

At 11:25 a.m. Thursday, watch standers at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg received notification from Baxter via VHF-FM marine band radio channel 16 stating he was low on water and his 27-foot sailboat, Kittywake, was disabled. Baxter stated he was out at sea for three days. 

A 27-foot Special Purpose Craft-Shallow Water boat crew from Coast Guard Station Yankeetown launched to assist. 

The boat crew arrived on scene at 4 p.m and rescued Baxter and his dog, Freddy. The boat crew placed a beacon on the disabled sailboat to alert mariners transiting the area and transported Baxter and Freddy to Sea Hag Marina in Steinhatchee.

No injuries were reported.

"Mariners should always file a float plan with a responsible person and ensure they have some type of communication capability during their voyage," said Kevin Coyne, command duty officer at Sector St. Petersburg. “When a planned voyage takes a vessel outside of cell phone coverage and VHF-FM marine band radio coverage, the captain needs to ensure they have an Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon or satellite phone to alert authorities if they encounter a serious problem." 

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