Coastguard rescues four at sea

Four men are safe tonight after they were located by the Belize Coast Guard when they drifted between Caye Caulker and Caye Chapel last night. The occupants of the boat were well when they were rescued and according to Lieutenant Elton Bennett, they searched the area throughout the entire night until they found the vessel and its occupants.

Lt. Elton Bennett, Operations Mgr., Belize Coast Guard
“The information we received was that they were just drifting east out to sea. We immediately deployed a search unit from the Coastguard Headquarters and they commenced the search pattern east of Caye Caulker. The search went through the night for eleven hours. However, we could no locate the vessel due to the high tide and it was until zero six hundred on the second of October that we found the vessel about thirteen miles east of the last seen position. And because of the vessel in distress was an engine failure, they imported it through the Belize Port Authority and we got that information.”

Jose Sanchez
“Was there anyone on the vessel?”

Lt. Elton Bennett
Yes, there were four persons onboard. The vessel was an eighteen feet skiff with a fifteen horse power engine on it.”

Jose Sanchez
“What kind of shape were they in? Were they healthy, were they scared?”

Lt. Elton Bennett
“The men were okay when we found them this morning; they were in good health. They explained to us the drift and the experience that they had overnight drifting initially northward and then taking a southerly direction from there after the tide changed.”

Lieutenant Bennett says that at this time of year, the Coast Guard receives distress calls on a regular basis. He advises sailors to adhere to the regulations established for boat operators and to pay keen attention to small craft warnings issued by the Belize Met Office.