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COAST GUARD RESCUES THREE BOATERS OFF LONGBOAT KEY
CORTEZ, Fla. - The Coast Guard rescued three people tonight after their 12-foot Hobie Cat capsized four and a half miles off Longboat Key.
William Klhpan, 52, his wife Cynthia, 49, and their 18-year old son, William, Jr., from Indian Hills Trails, Ky., borrowed the boat from the Veranda Beach Club on Longboat Key this afternoon. When they did not return to the marina the club notified the Coast Guard that they were overdue. The Coast Guard began searching for the missing boaters with two rescue boats from Coast Guard Station Cortez and an HH-60 helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater. The Florida Wildlife Conservation Commission and Manatee Fire and Rescue also had vessels assisting in the search, and the Longboat Police Department conducted a shoreline search.
The crew of the Station Cortez 41-foot rescue boat found the three missing boaters on top of the capsized vessel at about 9:45 p.m. Although the three were cold and wet from being in the water for several hours, they did not appear to be in need of any medical treatment. They were transported back to Station Cortez.
This case illustrates the importance of having the proper safety equipment on board any vessel you are taking out on the water. Although the Klhpan family is safe and on dry land tonight, this case could have been another tragic example of unprepared boaters getting underway on a small vessel without so much as a VHF-FM radio, EPIRB or other safety equipment that could have increased their chances of survival.
The fact that the Klhpan family members were wearing lifejackets and did remain with the boat after it capsized was, however, the best thing they could have done in the situation and may have saved their lives.
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The U.S. Coast Guard is a military, maritime, multi-mission service within the
Department of Homeland Security dedicated to protecting the safety and security of America. |
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