Two Rescued After Boat Sinks 40 Miles Off Bradenton: Coast Guard

BRADENTON, FL — Two fishermen were rescued from the water Saturday morning after their 24-foot boat sank 40 miles west of Bradenton, according to a U.S. Coast Guard 7th District PA Detachment Tampa Bay news release.

The two men pulled from the water to safety were Larry McCain, 52, of Parrish, and Dennis Amo, 64, of Sarasota.

At 10:30 a.m., a personal locator beacon (PLB) notification alerted the Coast Guard that the men were in distress. A Coast Guard Auxiliary air crew diverted from its patrol and located the two men wearing life jackets clinging to the hull of the boat.

A MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew from Air Station Clearwater were called in and hoisted the men from the water, the Coast Guard said. The men were brought to Air Station Clearwater. No injuries were reported.

McCain told the Coast Guard that he and Amo left the 59th Street boat ramp in Bradenton early Saturday morning for a fishing outing. After fishing for red grouper for a few hours, the rear of the boat began to sink. The men threw their fish in the boat and tried to drive the boat forward, but there wasn’t enough power to overcome the weight of the water, the Coast Guard said.

“It was a matter of 10 minutes that the boat went down,” said Amo. “We tried bailing out the water, but the bilge pump stopped. Batteries went underwater, and then I grabbed my PLB.”

He hopes other fishermen learn from their experience. They should always have a PLB onboard, he said. “If you had asked me this morning if I needed to have one, I would’ve said no. The boat was in perfect condition.”

Holding up his PLB, Amo said, “This was the difference between a couple hours on the water or a couple days of tragedy.”

“They did everything right in a scary situation,” said Capt. Matthew Thompson, Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg commander. “They had all their safety equipment, put on their life jackets and activated their personal locator beacon at the first sign of an emergency.”

A safety marine information bulletin is being broadcasted for the drifting 24-foot capsized vessel with twin engine outboards, which has 80 gallons fuel onboard.