Missing men found clinging to boat that capsized miles from Georgia shore. See rescue
Two boaters were left stranded in the ocean after their boat capsized miles from the Georgia shore, the U.S. Coast Guard said.
The boaters were out on a 16-foot boat about 4 miles east of Jekyll Island on July 22, according to a news release from the Savannah station.
When they didn’t return home, others began calling their phones which went directly to voicemail, the Coast Guard said.
The men were reported missing, and an aircrew aboard an MH-65 Dolphin helicopter out of Savannah took off to search the coastline.
The crew spotted the men down in the water on July 23, both waving their arms, according to the release.
One of the men was sitting on top of their capsized boat and the other was in the water, the Coast Guard said.
The crew sent down baskets to hoist the men into the helicopter. The Coast Guard shared a video of the rescue.
Both boaters were evaluated by medical personnel and neither were injured, the Coast Guard said.
“The southeast is prone to powerful storms that aren’t predictable and are capable of capsizing smaller vessels,” Lt. Tucker Williams said in the release. “We recommend all mariners carry a radio, flares and other distress signals in case they encounter an unexpected situation.”
Jekyll Island is about 95 miles south of Savannah.
This story was originally published July 24, 2023 at 6:28 PM with the headline "Missing men found clinging to boat that capsized miles from Georgia shore. See rescue."
