CI Coast Guard rescues three on vessel in distress

(CMR) Three persons traveling on a 34ft Boston Whaler 345 Conquest from Belize to Grand Cayman were rescued by the Cayman Islands Coast Guard (CICG) after their vessel lost the ability to steer and ran out of fuel last week.

Reports from the CICG are that between Friday the 11th and Saturday the 12th of November 2022, they were involved in a Search And Rescue (SAR) deployment that lasted just over 20 hours, resulting in the vessel, and its occupants, being successfully towed to the Lobster Pot Dock, in George Town.

The vessel reportedly encountered difficulties during its voyage, losing its ability to be steered, and subsequently ran out of fuel, just over 81 nautical miles (93.2 miles) to the west of Grand Cayman.

The CICG Operations & Rescue Coordination Centre (ORCC) were notified by a member of the community of the situation and began coordinating a search and rescue response between CICG Patrol Vessel (PV) Protector and the RCIPS Air Operations Unit.

At around 12:30 am, X-Ray 2, working in conjunction with the ORCC, and PV Protector, located the vessel in distress and provided an update on its location.

Having ascertained that all three occupants were in good health and observing PV Protector come alongside the vessel in distress, X-Ray 2 disengaged from the SAR and returned to Grand Cayman while PV Protector and crew commenced recovery actions.

At around 3:30 pm Saturday afternoon, the vessel and her (3) occupants were safely delivered to the Lobster Pot dock in George Town.

“The commitment of the duty crew who initially responded to this “vessel in distress” report cannot be overstated, as these officers had been on duty from 8 am that Friday morning and without hesitation deployed on what they knew would be, at best, another 12 hours at sea,” the Coast Guard said in a post on its Facebook page.

“The dedication and professionalism of our current boat crews, exemplify what we look for in each of our new recruits, and what the Cayman Islands can expect from its Coast Guard,” the post continued.