VIDEO: Runaway boat circles dangerously close to shore
A marine unit RIB chased down a runaway boat in St Petersburg, Florida, last week after the boat’s helmsman was thrown overboard.
The Pinellas County Sherrif’s Office marine unit RIB came to the rescue, helping narrowly avoid injuries to those in the water.
In the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office’s weekly briefing a spokesperson for the office confirmed that the boater had not been wearing a lifejacket or killcord, which resulted in “the boat circling dangerously close to the shore and people in the swimming area”.
The dramatic footage shows how marine authorities were able to stop a runaway boat from reaching the shore of a beach in St. Petersburg. Two deputies from Pinella’s County Sheriff’s Office marine unit assisted in the rescue and recovery in their RIB. The marine unit’s RIB follows the runaway craft, before positioning itself on the unmanned vessel’s inside edge, nudging it to slow it down and one of the deputies is then seen jumping on board the runaway vessel, taking the helm and bringing the boat under control.
The boater had been thrown overboard and was located treading water almost half a mile from the shore. The man had phoned 911 from his phone while treading water. He was safely rescued and unhurt.
The video was posted by Florida’s Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office and Now This News. The sheriff’s office implored people who were going out on the water to wear lifejackets and killcords.
