Coast Guard medevacs 50-year-old woman approximately 63 miles west of Clearwater

Coast Guard medevacs 50-year-old woman approximately 63 miles west of Clearwater

CLEARWATER, Fla. — The Coast Guard medevaced a 50-year-old woman suffering from chest pains aboard the sailing vessel, Apogee approximately 63 miles west of Clearwater.

Coast Guard 7th District watchstanders received a 406 MHz EPIRB alert from the Apogee and a relayed report from a nearby good Samaritan aboard the sailing vessel, Dreaming of the incident at approximately 9:18 a.m.  Watchstanders launched a Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew who arrived on scene at approximately 10:11 a.m., hoisted the patient and transferred her to Tampa General Hospital at 11:27 a.m.

“The EPIRB is a very important piece of safety equipment to have onboard your vessel and was crucial to the success of the medevac,” said Lt. Bradley Davis, a Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter pilot. “When an alert is sent, our watchstanders can locate you within 3 miles of your position and figure out how and where to respond efficiently.”

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-USCG-