| Office of Public Affairs U.S. Coast Guard Seventh District |
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| Press Release |
Date: Aug. 3, 2005 Contact: |
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OVERDUE BOATERS LOCATED BY COAST GUARD HELICOPTER CREW NAPLES, Fla. --The two missing boaters, David Starrett and Frank (Flip) Dorthy, were located this afternoon 13 miles offshore of Lostmans River by a Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater helicopter. The duo claimed their 24-foot boat named Lady Marion ran out of gas 30 hours prior to their discovery. "Had the boaters filed a float plan, they could have eliminated needless hours of searching on the part of rescue agencies as well as needless hours they themselves were at sea exposed to the elements and at risk," said Petty Officer 1st Class Danielle DeMarino, Coast Guard spokesperson. "They're lucky they were found at all given the fact we didn't have a reliable inclination as to where they might be. They were eventually located approximately 43 miles from where they had launched their boat and 36 miles from where someone had guessed they might be." A vessel from the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission (FWC) was the first to arrive on scene after the Coast Guard helicopter crew's initial sighting. Starrett and Dorthy were not in need of medical attention and were aided by a commercial assistance company. They are currently enroute Port of Isles under their own power. Today's multi-unit search included air and surface assets from FWC, Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Coast Guard Station Fort Myers Beach, Collier County Sheriff's Office, Naples Police Department, the Coast Guard Auxiliary and the Coast Guard Cutter Marlin. This case also exemplifies the need for boaters to carry a reliable means of communication, such as a VHF radio, on their vessel at all times. ### The U.S. Coast Guard is a military, maritime, multi-mission service within the |
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