UPDATE: CAPTAIN FELL ASLEEP!
UPDATE AT 4:37 p.m. — The United States Coast Guard tells BocaNewsNow.com that they received the first call from a “Good Samaritan” around 10:45 Saturday morning. The caller reported what appeared to be a vessel in trouble roughly two miles north of the Boca Inlet. The USCG and eventually Boca Raton Fire Rescue found the vessel and determined the captain had fallen asleep. The vessel was towed to shore. The captain, according to the Coast Guard, became combative with rescuers. It’s unclear if he was charged. Multiple safety violations were found on the vessel, according to a Coast Guard spokesperson. BocaNewsNow.com has learned the vessel is the “Bella Lynn,” a 30-foot sailboat.
BOCA RATON, FL (BocaNewsNow.com) (Copyright © 2024 MetroDesk Media, LLC) — The United States Coast Guard, Boca Raton Police, and Boca Raton Fire Rescue spent a good portion of the morning searching for a vessel with a problem boater — and then dealing with that boater and the boat.
In a story still developing just after noon on Saturday, the U.S. Coast Guard was called to help a large sailboat off the coast of Boca Raton where a passenger was apparently unresponsive. We are withholding the name of the vessel until we receive additional confirmation. After a search that took quite some time, the Coast Guard and various marine units from the City of Boca Raton found the vessel and learned there was a person on board who was having what we’ll describe for now as some sort of problem. It’s unclear what that problem was, but it apparently required medical intervention.
Then the problems escalated. Coast Guard and Boca Raton Fire Rescue officials required the boat to be towed to shore. But people on the boat apparently didn’t want that to happen. There was what we’ll call “Boating Belligerence.” As is normally the case, law enforcement prevailed. The boat as of 12:10 p.m. is being taken to Silver Palm Park where the dock is being cleared by park rangers under the direction of Boca Raton PD.
BocaNewsNow.com is awaiting an update from the United States Coast Guard. Check back later in the day. For now, expect issues if you’re trying to access the dock at Silver Palm Park.
