The Coast Guard rescued six people after their powerboat took on water and started to sink off Freeport, Texas, on Sunday.
The Coast Guard reported that its base in Galveston heard a VHF distress call on channel 16 just before noon, when the captain of a 32-foot powerboat said his boat was taking on water and starting to sink. The boat’s three pumps were not able to keep up with the flooding. All six people on board were putting on their life jackets and abandoning ship, climbing into a small life raft.
The Coast Guard immediately launched a 45-foot response boat from Freeport and a Dolphin helicopter from Houston. The response boat got to the scene first and gathered up all six people from the raft. No one was injured. The Coast Guard boat carried them to its base in Freeport.
The boat’s owner said he would arrange for salvage.
“We can’t stress enough the importance of having reliable, efficient communication equipment on board your vessel, especially a VHF-FM marine radio,” said Petty Officer 3rd Class Tyler Downes, communications controller from Sector Houston-Galveston. “Every second matters during an emergency on the water, and a marine radio can be a direct lifeline for you and everyone on your boat.”
Read more at https://coastguardnews.com/coast-guard-rescues-6-from-vessel-near-freeport-texas/
and see the video below:
