The Coast Guard rescued four people after a 75-foot yacht sank while attempting to tow a 32-foot boat from 19 miles off Egmont Key, Fla. on Saturday morning.
Watchstanders in St. Petersburg received a mayday call at 7:20 a.m. from a boat reporting four people were aboard the 32-foot vessel John Deer Green and that it was taking on water.
The Coast Guard deployed an MH-60 Jayhawk helicopter from Clearwater and a 45-foot response boat from Cortez, along with a rescue swimmer and a dewatering pump to handle the flooding.
Upon arriving, the Coast Guard learned that a 75-foot boat, Steel Kelly, attempted to tow the John Deer Green, but later sank. The two boaters aboard that vessel were able to board the John Deer Green safely before being submerged.
