Boat in distress drifts ashore while search underway

| 13/04/2022 | 21 Comments
Cayman News Service
Cayman Islands Coast Guard vessel (file photo)

(CNS): Three young men who had been aboard a 14-foot aluminum boat that had been reported as in distress in the North Sound Monday evening are safe and well, police have said. The boat’s engine had apparently cut out, and at the time the distress call was made the vessel was drifting with one person on board.

The two other young men who had been on the boat “had entered the water”, police said. The RCIPS report is not clear but it appears they swam ashore.

The report about a vessel in distress was made shortly after 7:30pm on 11 April. The Cayman Islands Coast Guard began a search in the area where the vessel was last seen drifting, assisted by members of the community, RCIPS officers and the police helicopter.

However, while they were searching, the authorities were informed by family members that the vessel had drifted across the North Sound and had come ashore near the Holiday Inn. Emergency services attended the location and the occupant of the boat was medically examined and found to be in good health.

The coastguard urged boaters to always ensure they have a working flashlight, signal flares, a VHF radio and a charged phone in a watertight package. Commander Robert Scotland noted that if even one of these devices had been on board, the vessel could have been located much quicker.

“While we are happy that all of the young men were located, last night’s incident could have had a very different result, so please remember to ensure that you always have the proper safety equipment onboard, and that each person also has on a personal floatation device,” he added.


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Comments (21)

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  1. Anonymous says:

    The Coast Guard are a joke! They can’t even find a boat in the North Sound where they’re based! God help us if they actually have to respond to a real emergency

  2. A.J. says:

    Can’t believe coast guard couldn’t find a boat in North Sound. It’s not that big a body of water. Grid search works pretty good even if you don’t know how to work your radar.

  3. Anonymous says:

    Well they say same time a shot lick on the islands other side…drugs loaded again in cAyman

  4. Anonymous says:

    Anchor, flares, radio? Should have never been an issue.

  5. Anonymous says:

    another tale the leaves more questions than answers.
    another day in wonderland.

  6. Anonymous says:

    Couldn’t they have just got out and walked to shore?

    • Anonymous says:

      Walk? Not in the ‘middle’ of the Sound. (But, yes, as shown by where they drifted, this is a lot safer than breaking down out at sea. The one that stayed in the boat probably did/could ‘walk ashore’.)

  7. Anonymous says:

    Another real world scramble drill fail. The public would like to urge the Coast Guard to keep our boats in working order, salaried on-shift crews on standby, and learn how to turn on that 96nm X class Furuno radar tower on the pedestal on the back of the cruiser we’ve bought for you. Good grief. Find the manual and read it before someone dies. For each 25kw radar sensor, the Coast Guard should be able to track up to 30 targets simultaneously and at all times. How do they expect to find and intercept the drug boats at night if they don’t know how to operate the equipment we’ve bought for them?

    • Anonymous says:

      That might be why drugs are destroying Cayman.

    • Anonymous says:

      Great comment LOL. Once they learn to use it the first order of business should be prosecuting the idiots out there at night with no lights. How many fatalities will it take before law enforcement does their job?

    • Truth says:

      Maybe if they had not gotten rid of the experienced officers that ACTUALLY knew what they were doing, and could run/fix the equipment then MAYBE the CG would actually be able to do their job. But CIG keep the 4 amigoes there and the smugglers have free rein. Stats dont lie, since the experienced officers were kicked out, the CG aint caught squat…..

  8. Anonymous says:

    Fine them. A 14 foot boat with three people in the NS during prolonged high winds equals stupidity and distress.

    • Anonymous says:

      And if they can’t pay that fine what do you suggest, jail time?

    • Anonymous says:

      Fine the kids for engine trouble? How about we fine the Coast Guard for still not knowing how to turn on their boat’s 100mi radar sensor, interpret the pinged data, and direct a rapid response? This event illustrates a fundamental operational incapacity that should alarm all stakeholders and mariners! Great news for the drug/gun/human smuggler boats though!

    • Anonymous says:

      Fine them for drifting across the sound? Or for the Coast Guard heroes overreacting?

      • Anonymous says:

        You mean the Coast Guard response that exceeded the time it took to drift powerless across the sound? What’s that, 1.5hrs? Not exactly snappy.

        • Jotnar says:

          To be fair to the coast guard, your comment suggests they were notified when it started to drift. There was no phone on board. So the call from help is presumably either from one of the kids that swam ashore, or the parents wondering where the kids had gotten too. But you have no idea how long the boat was adrift before the call. Could have been on the foreshore by the Inn by the time the call was made.

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