4 People Rescued After Boat Capsizes Near John’s Pass

CLEARWATER, FL — Four people are back on dry land and safe following an early Saturday morning boating emergency in waters about 12 miles west of John’s Pass.

According to Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg, its watch standers received a transfer 911 call from a cellphone caller around 5:18 a.m. Oct. 22. The man on the other end of the line told watch standers his 29-foot boat was taking on water and assistance was required immediately, an email from the coast guard said.

“The watch stander told the caller to don their life jackets and then communications were lost,” the email said.

A boat crew from Station St. Petersburg and a MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Air Station Clearwater were dispatched to the last known position of the boat. The chopper made it to the scene at 6:30 a.m. and spotted four people clinging to a capsized boat’s hull. All four were wearing lifejackets, the email noted.

The helicopter crew hoisted the boaters aboard and flew them back to Clearwater.

“This is a testament to the importance of having working radio communications and life jackets aboard your vessel,” Chief Warrant Officer Robert Swanson, command duty officer at Sector St. Petersburg, said in a statement. “They were prepared for the worst-case scenario. Due to their preparation, we were immediately notified of the distress, we pinpointed their location and rescued them in about an hour from the initial call.”

The boaters suffered no injuries or medical concerns, the agency noted. They have been identified as Joseph Fernandez, 55, Philip Fernandez, 42, Erick Quesada, 40, and Samantha Fernandez, 8.

Photo courtesy of the U.S. Coast Guard