Longboat Key officer assists in water rescue of two people

Marine patrol officers from Longboat Key and Sarasota police departments rescued two people Saturday morning after their boat hit a sandbar near New Pass.

Everyone is safe and there were no injuries, according to both marine patrols.

“It always feels good to rescue someone knowing that you gave that person a second chance in life,” said Longboat Key marine patrol officer Joshua Connors.

Connors said he believes once the boat hit the sandbar, its engine failed, and the hull began filling with water.

“It was almost like a sitting duck,” Connors said.

Sarasota Police Department officer Michael Skinner was first to arrive around 7:30 a.m. Saturday, Jan. 23. Law enforcement agencies' marine units typically back each other up during a water rescue.

Connors arrived shortly afterward. He helped other boats coming out of New Pass channel navigate around the scene because of the foggy conditions.

“The weather conditions were what I would call ‘pea soup fog,’ with visibility limited to no more than 100 feet,” Connors said.

Connors said the weather conditions made the rescue a little more difficult.

“These types of conditions…our training served its purpose,” Connors said.

A commercial towing service brought the vessel to the 10th Street boat ramp, Connors said.

Connors recommended boaters to check the weather report before heading onto the water. 

“These people were going out to fish, they should have waited until the fog lifted or at least cleared a little bit,” Connors said.

Connors also advised boaters to have a cell phone and a marine VHF radio in case they need to call the Coast Guard.

“You can always use your second means of communications if you have a cell phone,” Connors said. “You might have VHF range and not cell phone range, or you might have cell phone and your VHF doesn’t work, so it’s always good to have a second means of communication.”

The boaters rescued on Jan. 23 had called 911 using a phone.

“Considering the conditions in this particular rescue, the people were lucky with a great outcome,” Connors said.