It started as a simple birthday outing that quickly turned into a remarkable rescue story.
A group of four family members set out from the Seminole Street Boat Ramp in Clearwater on a fishing trip to celebrate a birthday around 9:30 a.m. The plan was to return by the late afternoon, but they never made it back. When the boat didn’t turn up, relatives started worrying and called the Clearwater Police Department on Monday night at about 8:30 p.m., sparking a large search effort.
After roughly 20 hours adrift, a Coast Guard HC‑144 “Ocean Sentry” aircraft located the capsized 24‑foot sailing vessel about 7:15 a.m. Tuesday, 26 miles off the Florida coast. Footage from the plane showed the four confined to the underside of the overturned boat, waving frantically as the aircraft passed overhead. The aircraft dropped a life raft and an MK‑58 marine locator beacon to guide a Coast Guard cutter to the vessel and to the boaters who had spent the night in peril.
The four were on a vessel nicknamed “Money Well Wasted” and ranged in age from 18 to 90. They were Dennis Woods, 70, his 90‑year‑old brother Clarence, their nephew‑in‑law Cris Harding Sr., 42, and the youngest cousin Chris Harding Jr., 18. All were transported to Morton Hospital after rescue and are now reported to be in stable condition.
The captain, Dennis Woods, later recalled how quickly the catamaran flipped. “Water filled up on one side of the catamaran, and then it made the back of the boat go down low, and water started coming over the back,” he said. “It was probably less than five minutes before it rolled, and I didn’t have time to contact the Coast Guard. We (were) more worried about getting the life jacket on the 90‑year‑old and the 18‑year‑old.”
Woods emphasized how hard the night was as waves grew stronger, but ultimately he’s glad the ship’s owner made it home. “It was a good birthday now that I’m back on land,” he concluded.
Coast Guard officials praised the joint effort of the U.S. Coast Guard, Clearwater Police Department, Clearwater Fire and Rescue, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission in bringing the missing family members safely to shore. Ensign Gaige Garrett of the Sector St. Petersburg Command Center highlighted the teamwork that led to the successful operation and urged anyone venturing into the water to carry essential safety gear such as Coast Guard‑approved life jackets, a VHF radio, signaling devices, and an emergency position locator beacon.
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