| Office of Public Affairs U.S. Coast Guard Seventh District |
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| Press Release |
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FOG HAMPERS SEARCH EFFORTS FOR 4 OVERDUE BOATERS, REVEALS 2 OTHERS YANKEETOWN, Fla. - Coast Guard Station Yankeetown is searching for two adults and two children who were expected home last night by dark. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission and a Jayhawk helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Fla. are aiding in the search for the 17-foot Proline boat, however, poor visibility is hampering their efforts. John Hughes, 50, and Tom Bailey, 56, departed the Barge Canal near Yankeetown sometime yesterday with their family friend's children, aged 15 and 11, for a fishing trip. Their fishing destination is unknown and may range from anywhere in the canal to 10 miles offshore. Visibility is believed to have been poor since the origination of the missing boaters' trip. This case exemplifies the importance of checking the weather and filing a float plan prior to departure as well as having proper communication and navigation equipment onboard. Mariner's are asked to keep a sharp lookout, and anyone with information regarding the overdue boaters is asked to contact the Coast Guard at 727-824-7506. Station Yankeetown, Air Station Clearwater and the FWCC were also looking for another group of missing boaters since last night and recently found them. Sam Gregory, 20, and Joel Osbourne, 20, of Gainesville, Fla. were located on their overdue 17-foot Boston Whaler by an off-duty Levi County cop while he was fishing. The duo had left Cedar Key Marina yesterday and were also expected back before dark. Ongoing search coordination between the Coast Guard Command Center in St. Petersburg, Fla. and local agencies in the Yankeetown area made for a quick and comforting identification of the two missing boaters. ### The U.S. Coast Guard is a military, maritime, multi-mission service within the |
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