MAYPORT, Fla. – An off-duty Neptune Beach police officer rescued three boaters floating in the Atlantic Ocean after their boat sank Sunday.
Cmdr. Mike Key said he was fishing off the Mayport Jetties when he heard “Mayday, mayday; we’re taking on water fast" on his VHF radio.
Key, an experienced boater, and his passengers then heard a weak signal from the US. Coast Guard with “broken” coordinates of the vessel in distress.
Key called the Coast Guard’s Sector Jacksonville office. They were on the way but Key realized he was 1.5 miles away and could get there first.
Within minutes, Key and his crew found the men about three miles offshore. A strong offshore wind blew them out to sea, Key said.
“As we arrived, the sight of three mariners floating in the water is something I will not soon forget,” he said. “We were able to pull them aboard and bring them back in.”
The men were wearing bright orange life jackets. In the distance, he saw their capsized boat, barely peaking above the water.
Key and his passengers brought the men back to the Coast Guard station in Mayport and snapped a quick photo on the dock.
Key said it’s a great reminder to have safety gear and take precautions.
He said he is still haunted by the story of the two missing firefighters, Jacksonville’s Brian McCluney and Virginia’s Justin Walker, who vanished at sea after leaving on a fishing trip from Port Canaveral. Neither the men nor their vessel have been found.
“The thought of the two missing firemen from several months back hasn’t left my mind for myself and many others,” Key noted. “This is yet another example of how things can go bad so fast!”
In this case, Key said he’s thankful to have been in the right place at the right time, saving the 3 men.
“It could have easily ended much differently for them,” Key said.