Stranded Boaters Saved By Deputies, Cops

HOLIDAY, FL — When mechanical issues left a boat and its three passengers stranded in waters about two miles west of the Anclote power plant Thursday night, the Pasco County Sheriff’s Office and New Port Richey Police Department swung into action.

Somer D. Matter, 29, had alerted her father Timothy Matter, 56, to her trouble on the water. He in turn sparked the search-and-recovery effort, letting authorities know his daughter’s last known location. Timothy Matter also reported that Somer’s phone had turned off and she was onboard with her boyfriend and her 2-year-old son.

After receiving a call from the U.S. Coast Guard, deputies headed out to Anclote River Park, 1119 Baillies Bluff Road, to begin looking for the stranded boaters. There they met up with New Port Richey Police officers, who were also alerted by the coast guard.

The agencies began looking for trio by land and air. The boat and its passengers were located just before 1 a.m. March 31. All three people were in “good condition,” the sheriff’s office reported in a Friday email.

Matter’s boat was towed back to shore by the sheriff’s marine unit.

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