Coast Guard tows disabled mariner 35 miles east of West Palm Beach

News Release

Nov. 1, 2017 U.S. Coast Guard 7th District Southeast Contact: 7th District Public Affairs Office: 305-415-6683 After Hours: 786-367-7649

Coast Guard tows disabled mariner 35 miles east of West Palm Beach

MIAMI — The Coast Guard rescued a mariner from a disabled 25-foot boat approximately 35 miles east of West Palm Beach, Wednesday.

Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Miami Command Center received a report Wednesday morning of an overdue mariner aboard a 25-foot center console Cuddy Cabin boat traveling from Fort Lauderdale to Freeport, Bahamas. The mariner was scheduled to arrive in Freeport around 2 p.m. Tuesday.

The watchstanders directed the launch of a Coast Guard Air Station HC-144 Ocean Sentry airplane crew and diverted the Coast Guard Cutter Bernard C. Webber crew to search. The airplane crew found the mariner disabled, dropped a marine band VHF radio to communicate, and vectored in the cutter crew to the location.

At approximately 2:02 p.m. , the cutter arrived on scene and took the vessel in tow. The cutter is scheduled to tow the vessel to Fort Lauderdale.

No injuries were reported.

"The Coast Guard reminds mariners to keep emergency equipment aboard their vessels anytime they get on the water, because maritime emergencies can happen at anytime," said Capt. Shawn Koch, chief of incident management, Coast Guard 7th District. "Filing detailed float plans, having a marine band VHF radio and an emergency position indicating radio beacon are just a few pieces of emergency equipment we highly recommend all mariners keep on their vessels."

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-USCG-