Coast Guard rescues boater clinging to Bradenton pier

U.S. Coast Guard sent this bulletin at 04/15/2018 02:00 PM EDT

united states coast guard 

News Release  

U.S. Coast Guard 7th District PA Detachment Tampa Bay
Contact: Coast Guard PA Detachment Tampa Bay
(305) 965-4672
PA Detachment Tampa Bay online newsroom

Coast Guard rescues boater clinging to Bradenton pier

A 29-foot Response Boat Small-II boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Cortez, Fla. tows a boater aboard his disabled 10-foot dinghy from under the Bradenton pier, Sunday, April 15, 2018. The boater stated high winds and seas stranded him under the pier. (U.S. Coast Guard photo) A 29-foot Response Boat Small-II boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Cortez, Florida, tows a boater aboard his disabled 10-foot dingy from under the Bradenton pier, Sunday, April 15, 2018. The boater stated high winds and seas stranded him under the pier. (U.S. Coast Guard photo) A 29-foot Response Boat Small-II boatcrew from Coast Guard Station Cortez, Florida, moors to the Bridge Tender Inn pier, Bradenton, towing a 10-foot dinghy, Sunday, April 15, 2018. The boatcrew rescued a stranded boater aboard the dinghy from under the Bradenton pier. (U.S. Coast Guard photo)

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

CORTEZ, Fla. — The Coast Guard rescued a boater aboard a 10-foot dingy stranded under the Bradenton pier Sunday.

At 11 a.m. Sector St. Petersburg watchstanders received a call from a person on the Bradenton pier reporting a boater was clinging to the pier and needed assistance. The boater stated the engine was disabled and he could not paddle due to high winds and rough seas. 

A 29-foot Response Boat Small II boatcrew from Station Cortez was launched, arrived on scene and towed the man and his boat to the Bridge Tender Inn pier. 

There were no reported injuries.

"We want to remind mariners to check the weather, and know your boat's limitations before heading out on the water," said Richard T. Hutchinson, a search and rescue coordinator at Sector St. Petersburg. "The National Weather Service currently has much of the region under a tornado watch, and issued a special marine warning."

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-USCG-