The Coast Guard executed a dramatic rescue this weekend, saving three fishermen without life jackets adrift in ocean waters five miles from Nantucket, off Cape Cod’s coast. On Saturday, around 12:48 p.m., an emergency signal was received from the 55-foot fishing boat, Miss Kara.
Rescue teams from Coast Guard Air Station Cape Cod and Coast Guard Station Brant Point in Nantucket swiftly responded. By 2 p.m., the trio was found clinging to a buoy. A Jayhawk helicopter crew lifted the fishermen to safety, taking them to Hyannis Airport for medical attention.
The Coast Guard shared gripping footage of the men being hoisted onto the hovering helicopter above the choppy Atlantic.
The emergency beacon was crucial to the rescue, according to Lt. Cmdr. Kristi Butler, search and rescue coordinator for the First Coast Guard District.
“This positive outcome demonstrates the importance of maintaining vital lifesaving equipment onboard your vessel,” Butler said.
The rescue came on the same day that a 25-year-old man was saved from his partially submerged fishing boat after being stranded at sea for over 24 hours off the Florida coast. Charles Gregory’s father told CNN that his son “struggled to stay alive” as he spotted sharks and endured jellyfish stings while exposed to the hot Florida sun.
Fishermen have been plucked from the Atlantic Ocean near Nantucket before. In 2019, a fisherman was rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter about 120 nautical miles off the island. In 2014, Coast Guard crew members rescued four fishermen about 25 miles southeast of Nantucket, after their boat started taking on water.