Coast Guard rescues 6 from capsized sailboat

ST. PETERSBURG, Fla. - A Coast Guard boatcrew from Station St. Petersburg, Fla., rescued six people south of the St. Petersburg Pier, Saturday afternoon, after their sailboat capsized during the St. Petersburg Yacht Club Regatta.

The crew, aboard a 25-foot Response Boat-small from Coast Guard Station St. Petersburg, heard a distress call from a good Samaritan aboard sailing vessel In Our Dreams, who reported the 24-foot sailing vessel Shock Therapy had capsized. The boat crew responded immediately, arriving on scene at 1:22 p.m. where they discovered six people in the water.

All six people, Shock Therapy owner Peter Degolian 49, of Tampa, Fla., Les Spits 60, of Tierra Verde, Fla., Dawn Norromore 39, of Tampa, Fla., Christopher Woodle 58, of St. Petersburg, Matt Dolton 51 of Apollo Beach, Fla., and Andi Harold 36, of Tampa, Fla., were safely rescued in good condition with no injuries, and transported back to Station St. Petersburg, arriving at 1:27 p.m.

At this time, the vessel remains partially submerged approximately 600-yards south of the St. Petersburg Pier. The Coast Guard has issued a Safety Marine Information Broadcast, warning mariners of the hazard to navigation.

The Coast Guard urges all mariners to check weather reports prior to departing, wear lifejackets, and have a form of communication aboard to notify the Coast Guard if they become distressed. Mariners are reminded that cell phones are not considered a reliable means of communication while on the water. The Coast Guard recommends a VHF-FM Marine band radio.

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