Marine cops warn boaters after men rescued at sea

| 10/01/2017 | 22 Comments

(CNS): Police have once again raised concerns about marine safety after a near miss this weekend, when two men were rescued at sea on a boat with no life jackets. The two men aboard a small boat were saved by a private boat owner in the early hours of Sunday morning off the coast of East End after their engine failed and the rough seas and high winds prevented them from paddling to shore. The police said that the 911 call centre received a report at around 1:45am that the men and the 14ft South Sea boat were in trouble one to two miles offshore.

Patrol officers and the RCIPS Joint Marine Unit were alerted and police onshore were soon able to spot the men, who were signalling with blinking lights. The officers were helped by two local men in a private boat. Before the marine unit arrived the private boat was able to rescue those on board, and at around 3:45am, some two hours after the report, they were brought on land in good health.

“This is a troubling incident which could have ended tragically had it not been for the brave response of local fishermen,” said Inspector Leo Anglin, Commander of the Joint Marine Unit. “Launching a boat in rough weather, in the dark and with no life jackets, is tantamount to taking your life in your hands.”

He added, “We cannot stress enough the threats that exist out on the water, especially at this time of year. With the modern technology we have at our fingertips today, weather forecasts are readily available to everyone. Let’s use these devices for a good purpose, and check weather forecasts before venturing out to sea.”

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Comments (22)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    The solution is very simple , just check the weather before you boat offshore. When forecast calls for 25 knots of wind from the north-east and a 6 to 9 foot sea state- do not go out . Especially at East End. Lee-shore boating or fishing off the west side of the island in these conditions or along the south-west coastal region will be mostly acceptable in daylight hours. Link enclosed for daily high seas & offshore forecast in our area under AMZ013:
    http://www.nhc.noaa.gov/marine/offshores.php

  2. Neptune says:

    Maybe we should give a thumbs up for the people who got out of their beds to perform the rescue.

  3. Anonymous says:

    It’s Grouper spawning season!

  4. James Larue says:

    Where did it say they were fishing ? Fine them as pure stupidity or have them cover the cost of the rescue. This is a cut and dry case.

  5. Anonymous says:

    just plain stupid. Not careless just stupid

    • Anonymous says:

      Why wont the Cayman Islands Government mandate a boater safety course. The old salty Caymanian generation is over. There are new idiots on the water. Why isnt the RCIP not inspcecting vessels daily for basic safety equipment i.e. life jackets, flares etc?

      • Anonymous says:

        To 7;18
        Its not the job of the RCIP to enforce life jacket and other safety apparatus for boating.
        There is a department called “Coast Guard” which needs to be implemented in the so-called advance little country,Cayman Islands, but that cant happen when we have people in charge who knows nothing about life skills and safety regulations.
        Get a Coast Guard unit, don’t wait until we lose more lives.

        • Anonymous says:

          It is not necessary to create a coast guard for a small country. Use your resources wisely. The marine unit can be trained further to accept those duties. Most countries with Police marine patrolling units inspect vessels on the water. Therefore showing boaters fines are possible if safety equipment is not readily available.

      • Anonymous says:

        They be Cayman kind that why

      • Anonymous says:

        No. Its not the governments job to regulate against stupidity.

  6. Anonymous says:

    glad to know this ended good, some people just can’t learn the dangers of the sea fishing is a great sport or pastime but safety must come first, no fish is worth losing your life over

  7. Anonymous says:

    Good thing the marine police got there 2 hrs later

  8. Anonymous says:

    Stop interfering with natural selection.

  9. Anonymous says:

    Thank God they were found safely!

  10. true say says:

    Wait… People went fishing… on a 14ft boat… on SUNDAY morning!?!? You simply can’t fix stupid!

  11. Anonymous says:

    FINE THEM and 30 days in jail!!! Wasting our tax payer monies on their stupidity!

  12. anonymous says:

    Stupid is as Stupid does……………….

    Idiots

  13. SKEPTICAL says:

    Another example of why there should be strict laws regarding the ABSOLUTE MINIMUM safety equipment which must be carried on any boat going offshore. It never seems to occur to these people that not only does their negligence, put their rescuers at risk, but can involve considerable public expense if the Marine Unit, and/or RCIPS helicopter have to get involved.

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