Watch: Boater Rescued From Rough Tampa Bay Waters

Watch the video at the bottom of this post.

With small craft advisories up all over the Tampa Bay area, rescue workers wasted no time searching for a 31-year-old man reported missing Sunday night in waters between Clearwater and Sarasota.

That man and his 26-foot sailboat were located early Monday morning about a mile west of Passage Key Inlet, the U.S. Coast Guard reported in an email to media.

It seems the man had purchased his boat in Clearwater and planned to sail it to Marine Jacks in Sarasota. When his sister lost contact with him Sunday night, she called Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg for help, the email said.

The Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater mobilized a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew to search for the missing sailor. A number of rescue boats from the Coast Guard, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and the Hillsborough County Sheriff’s Office all took to the waters, as well, to search for the lost man.

See Also:

• Wind Warnings Go Up Around the Bay

While the man and his boat were located Monday morning, rescue units could not get close enough to retrieve him, the email stated. The man was able to don a lifejacket and swim to the sheriff’s office’s marine boat for assistance. Once safe, he was transferred to a Coast Guard vessel and taken back to Coast Guard Station Cortez without any medical concerns.

Officials have not released the name of the man.

“The cooperation between the Coast Guard and local agencies to accomplish this rescue was incredible,” said Petty officer 2nd Class Justin Bosworth, a watchstander at the sector, was quoted in the email as saying. “We were able to work together to retrieve the man before the situation deteriorated.”

As a cold front moves through the area, the National Weather Service has issued wind advisories for coastal waters and larger lakes throughout the region. Operators of small crafts are advised to stay clear until conditions improve.

Screenshot of the Coast Guard video

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