Disabled yacht found off Florida thanks to flare
11/02/2022
Two people on a disabled yacht, Critical Window, used a flare to help aircrew locate them off the Florida coast.
The crew of the sailboat was rescued around 200 miles off Cape Canaveral. They were saved by Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater and Miami Cape Canaveral.
Critical Window was disabled in 40 mph winds and 10-12 foot seas in one afternoon in February.
When an Air Station Miami HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircrew arrived in the area, the sailboat operator used a distress flare so they could be quickly located.
An Air Station Clearwater MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter crew hoisted the two people from the sailboat. They took them to emergency medical personnel at Melbourne International Airport. There were no reported medical concerns.
Chief Petty Officer John Andzelik, operations unit watchstander with District Seven, says, “The operator used the vessel’s registered EPIRB and conserved the flares until help was near. This due diligence allowed Coast Guard crews to rescue them as fast as possible.”
The image of Critical Window is courtesy of USCG.
