GREEN CAY — A Coast Guard boat crew and two Good Samaritan vessels rescued five persons following a vessel capsizing offshore from Green Cay Marina in St. Croix on Sunday.
Rescued are three men and two women, who reportedly fell into the water when the 21-foot pleasure craft Skater capsized after hitting a wave at high speed. The survivors were not wearing life jackets when the vessel capsized.
Coast Guard watchstanders at Sector San Juan received a VHF Channel-16 communication from the pleasure craft U.S. Marie at 4:40 p.m. Sunday, reporting the vessel capsizing and five people in the water. A Coast Guard Boat Forces Detachment St. Croix 33-Special Purpose Craft crew responded to the scene after also hearing the distress communication and recovered one person from the water. People aboard one Good Samaritan vessel rescued two other persons from the water, while a second vessel recovered the remaining two who were sitting on top of the capsized vessel. One of the Good Samaritan vessels righted and towed the capsized vessel to the Altona Boat Ramp.
Emergency Medical Service personnel at Green Cay Marina treated a woman who sustained an arm laceration during the capsizing.
“The persons rescued in this case are very lucky and could have sustained far worse injuries after a high speed crash,” said Petty Officer 2nd Class Kyle Hooten, Boat Forces Detachment St. Croix coxswain for the case. “The Good Samaritan vessels on scene did a great job responding to the incident. Mariners should operate at a safe speed for the current sea state conditions and wear personal flotation devices, accidents like this happen without time to grab any safety gear.”