Marineland residents may have heard the hum of a helicopter overhead early this morning as personnel from several agencies searched for overdue boaters who were found on their disabled vessel around 1:15 a.m.
The Flagler County Sheriff’s Office was contacted by the father of a teenager who had gone boating with friends around noon on Saturday. When she failed to return by 9 p.m. and the father was unable to contact her, he called the Sheriff’s Office. Sheriff’s deputies located the vehicle and empty boat trailer at Bings Landing on North Oceanshore Drive.
After searching the area, deputies called in the Volusia County Sheriff’s Office’s Air One helicopter as well as the Florida Wildlife Commission, the U.S. Coast Guard and the FCSO Marine Patrol Unit.
The drifting boat and passengers were located by Air One on the Intracoastal Waterway near the Whitney Lab in Marineland around 1:15 a.m. The Palm Coast boat owner, Danilo Gomez, 43, explained that he, three family members and the teenager were heading home from St. Augustine when they experienced engine problems. He said the cell phone they had did not work and he was unable to call for assistance.
Gomez had just bought the boat three days earlier, used.
Deputies removed the passengers and the boat was being moored in Marineland until the owner could make arrangements to move it. “We are happy for the positive outcome of the search,” Flagler County Sheriff Jim Manfre said. “There was great cooperation between several agencies to locate these boaters who otherwise may have spent the night drifting on the water. I want to thank everyone who was involved in this search.”
The Doctor says
Very glad this had a happy ending. When I go on the water I always carry several different methods of communication with me and test the ones I have before I leave. Good job FCSO and crews.
Deep South says
Not that Mr. Gomez was not familiar with nautical safety but I always carry many means of communication, flares, extra fuel, survival kits, and other safety devices. I hear about to many people that buy a boat and away they go.
Barnicle Bill says
I use to sleep out on the intra-coastal at night when tired from flounder gigging. How can you be “MISSING” on the intra-coastal waterway ? How much money did that cost us tax payers ? Could have just let the tide take you until it ran you into either homes to the east or islands to the west. Think of it like being a Boy scout out on a trip……..What the heck has this society come too ??????
Reality Check says
@ Barnicle Bill, I agree, glad everyone is okay but just buying a boat does not make you a captain any more than a set of tools makes you a mechanic. People just go buy toys and never learn to properly use them, ever watch some of those giant RV’s or U-Hauls towing cars try to backup? No experience with a trailer they are a danger because it’s okay to just go do it. I agree that the helicopter was overkill, and why didn’t the FCSO marine patrol find them on the river?