2-6-14 – FL
At least three people died and seven others were rescued Thursday after their boat capsized off the coast of southeastern Florida, the U.S. Coast Guard said. And that toll -- of the dead and rescued -- may rise: The Coast Guard believes that two more people may still be trapped or in the Atlantic Ocean, spurring an intense search for them. A Dutch naval vessel, the Zeeland, heading toward Key West, Florida, first alerted the U.S. Coast Guard at noon about the ship. Specifically, the Coast Guard said, the Dutch sailors reported seeing "a capsized 24-foot center console vessel with seven suspected migrants atop the hull." The Dutch sailors rescued those individuals and retrieved three bodies "from within the hull," according to the Coast Guard. The Coast Guard has since sent the Cutter Richard Etheridge, a 154-foot ship based in Miami, to search for the two missing people. In addition, a C-130 airplane out of Clearwater, Florida, has been dispatched to the scene. Upon arrival, they took over the operation from the Dutch navy and will transport those rescued to the Florida mainland, Coast Guard Petty Officer Sabrina Laberdesque told CNN.
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2-10-14 – Coaling, AL
Tuscaloosa County police have identified a teenage boy who drowned after he and another child jumped from a boat on a private pond. Police say 14-year-old Jaylen Davis-Williams and another child found a boat near the pond, pushed it away from the shore and got inside Sunday afternoon. Police say the boat wasn't equipped with paddles and the children tried using their hands to paddle back to the shore. Officials say the children eventually jumped from the boat to try swimming back to land and Davis-Williams drowned. Sgt. Dale Phillips says the teen's death appears to be accidental, and foul play is not suspected.
1-31-14 – Miami, FL
A boat fire near Miami Beach Marina and Fisher Island kept a group of firefighters busy Friday afternoon. The fire engulfed a small boat sending flames shooting into the air. The man on board the boat reportedly swam to a dock and is not injured. The fire was extinguished by Fast Response Towing and Salvage with the help of Coast Guard and Miami Beach Fire. It is not clear what started the fire, but officials said it may have been a faulty gas line.
2-8-14 - Port Hueneme, CA
Crews launched a water rescue after a boat apparently ran aground Saturday night off Port Hueneme, according to the Ventura County Fire Department <
http://www.vcstar.com/news/topic/ventura-county-fire-department/> . The 25-foot boat was up against rocks, but all three occupants of the vessel were safe and no injuries were reported, officials said. The incident was reported at 9:14 p.m. off East Surfside Drive and Market Street.
2-8-14 – Panama City, FL
Two men heading back home to Miami on a yacht ended up spending three days stranded in the gulf. The Coast Guard rescued them and brought them ashore this afternoon in Panama City. Both say they're grateful to be alive. The odyssey at sea, for two south Florida men, began Wednesday, when they left Panama City on-board a 46-foot motor yacht named the Lyllian. One of them had bought the vessel and they were taking it back to Miami. But that plan fell apart 12 hours out to sea, when the vessel's engines quit. There was also a fuel problem. The pair drifted in the gulf for three days. Ben, stranded boater said, "We were already forty miles out and knew that if we didn't find somebody we already talked about it we had better chances of going out there and…and ending it than getting saved.”Then a passing fishing boat spotted them early Friday morning. Stranded Boater Tony Montero said, "The captain of the Big Jim 2 Mr. Captain Price spotted our signal light and pulled up his anchor and came to our rescue, came in close enough where we could get radio contact with him and he notified the Coast Guard for us.” The Coast Guard Cutter Coho reached the Lyllian around 6:00 Friday morning. The vessel was about 30 miles south of Port St. Joe.
2-10-14 – Thomasville, GA
Thomas County investigators say the cause of death is still under investigation after a man's body was found in a lake near Catfish Lane. Officials said Warren Rehberg, 90, went fishing Saturday and did not return. In a report, crews said they found his golf cart nearby, and also found his boat out in the water, but said it was empty. The Thomas county sheriff's office is working to figure out how an elderly man died after he was body was found in a lake. Rehberg's body was recovered Sunday from a private pond on Catfish Lane, after a search involving emergency crews and family members. "Everyone knew him, everyone loved him, my heart goes out to them it's just a tragic event," said Thomas Sheriff's Capt. Steve Jones. Officials say Rehberg was fishing on Saturday when he went missing. They're not sure if he drowned or died from a medical problem. Georgia State Patrol, the Thomas County Dive Team, Thomasville Police, Georgia Department of Natural Resources joined in a search all day Saturday for Rehberg. Rehberg's body was found later Sunday. Thomas County Sheriff's investigators said the cause is still under investigation, but are describing the situation as a sad accident.
1-30-14 – Newport News, VA
A 15-year-old girl and her dogs were rescued from a kayak in an ice-covered lake by Hampton firefighters Thursday afternoon, officials said. Just after 12:30 p.m., crews were called to the first block of Southall Landing, where they found the teen lying on a kayak with her two dogs 12 feet from shore, said Hampton Division of Fire and Rescue Assistant Chief Jeff Pereira. The girl went out in the kayak after the dogs ran out toward the water, Pereira said. Firefighters tried unsuccessfully to reach her with pike poles, rope and other equipment, and finally a medic firefighter in a marine dry rescue suit with a tether was able to pull her and the dogs to safety.
2-6-14 – Honolulu, HI
A fisherman who spent the night off the coast of Kauai is safe after Coast Guard rescue crews located him five miles off of Kapa'a, Kauai, Thursday. Watchstanders at the Coast Guard Sector Honolulu command center received a call at 8:30 p.m., Wednesday, from a man reporting that his friend was overdue on his 14-foot Boston Whaler. The 61-year-old fisherman departed from the Waikaea Canal in Kapa'a, Kauai earlier in the day to fish a few miles off of Kapa'a with group of other fishing boats. Coast Guard Sector Honolulu launched a 47-Motor Life Boat crew from Station Kauai, the 87-foot Coast Guard Cutter Kittiwake, a C-130 Hercules airplane crew and two MH-65 Dolphin helicopter crews from Coast Guard Air Station Barbers Point to search for the man. An urgent marine information broadcast was also issued to all mariners in the area, asking for their assistance in locating the missing mariner. The Kauai Fire Department and Kauai Police Department also joined the search. At 8:09 a.m., one of the Dolphin helicopter crews located the fisherman and directed the MLB crew to the fisherman’s position. He was safely escorted back to Kapa'a Harbor. The search covered nearly 2,000 square miles. "If the mariner had a VHF radio on board, he likely would have overheard the Coast Guard's Urgent Marine Information Broadcast being transmitted on Ch. 16 looking for him.” said Petty Officer 1st Class Tyler Peterson, an operational watchstander at the Sector Honolulu command center. “He then could have contacted the Coast Guard or other mariners for assistance.”