Coast Guard rescues three off Atsena Otie Key

The Coast Guard rescued three sailboaters who were capsized and adrift two miles southeast of Atsena Otie Key on Monday.
The Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg received a call forwarded by the Levy County Sheriff's Dispatch Center at 7 p.m., Sunday, from a concerned family member. The caller said three men; ages 53, 40, and 16, were overdue from a sailing trip. The trio departed from Cedar Key on Sunday to sail their 16-foot fiberglass catamaran around Atsena Otie Key, approximately one mile offshore.
The caller said the mariners had no motor, lights, electronics or emergency equipment aboard.
The Coast Guard launched an HH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter from Clearwater to the area where the sailors traveled. Five Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission officers joined in the search as did Levy County officers and a marine unit.
After more than seven hours of searching, the Jayhawk's aircrew spotted the distressed mariners on the capsized hull at two miles offshore southeast of Atsena Otie Key at 4:30 a.m. A rescue swimmer was lowered and plucked all three mariners from their capsized vessel.
"This case could of turned out differently," said Richard Hutchinson, a Coast Guard search and rescue coordinator at Sector St. Petersburg."These mariners are lucky to be alive; a case like this highlights how fast an emergency at sea, even one close to shore, can turn into a life or death situation."
The Coast Guard official reminded all boaters to have proper emergency life-saving equipment on their vessels.
"Last night's search conditions were very difficult." added Hutchinson.  "A hand held radio or Emergency Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) could have saved all involved several hours in a hostile marine environment.” 
No injuries have been reported. The rescued mariners were taken to Air Station Clearwater and transferred to emergency medical services.

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