Coast Guard rescues four from sinking fishing boat

CLEARWATER -- The Coast Guard rescued four fishermen from a life raft about 7:40 a.m. today after their 32-foot commercial fishing vessel began taking on water and sunk 32 nautical miles west of Clearwater.

Capt. Darren Stanwood, 44, of Orlando, Tom Hunter, 46, of Zephyrhills, Dennis Grimm, 53, of Madeira Beach, and Lisa Mercer, 42, of Hudson, were aboard the Lady Juanita, home-ported in Madeira Beach, when the crew noticed that the vessel was riding low in the water.

A crew member opened a forward compartment and saw that it was flooded. Four-foot waves began crashing over the bow of the vessel, and it quickly began taking on water. Stanwood called the Coast Guard at 6:26 a.m.

The Coast Guard sent a HH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter to assist the distressed fishermen. At 6:33 a.m., the fishermen abandoned ship and entered a life raft before the vessel capsized and sunk. The Coast Guard helicopter located them at 7:11 a.m. and began hoisting the fishermen at 7:13 a.m. The rescue crew completed hoisting all four people about 7:40 a.m. and brought the survivors to Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater in good health with no reported injuries.

Times staff writer

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