Video: Boat Captain Rescued By Clearwater Coast Guard Helicopter

JOHNS PASS, FL — The Coast Guard medevaced a 65-year-old man from a commercial fishing vessel 40 miles northwest of Johns Pass Monday.

A Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew responded and safely transported the man to Tampa General Hospital in stable condition.

Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg received a VHF marine radio call on channel 16 at 2:23 p.m. from the fishing vessel "Rachel Nicole," stating the captain was suffering from abdominal pain. A sister vessel met the Rachel Nicole and escorted the rest of the crew back to port.

"Having an VHF-FM radio on board allowed us to get our resources to the correct location within ample time," said pilot Lt. Weston Dodson.