COAST GUARD SEARCHING FOR 8 POSSIBLE PEOPLE IN THE WATER HERNANDO BEACH, Fla. – Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg watch standers received a call at 7 p.m. today on channel 16 from a boater stating that his vessel, the Rum Runner III, was taking on water 50-nautical miles northwest of Hernando Beach, Fla., with eight people on board. An HH-60 rescue helicopter from Air Station Clearwater and the Coast Guard Cutter Marlin, home-ported in Ft. Myers, Fla., are en route to search the area for eight people in the water. However, the exact position of the vessel and its description are unknown. Coast Guard watch standers found three listings of a vessel named Rum Runner III in its systems, but each owner was contacted and reported no distress. It is unknown who the people are or if they have life jackets. COAST GUARD SEARCHING FOR 8 POSSIBLE PEOPLE IN THE WATER HERNANDO BEACH, Fla. – Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg watch standers received a call at 7 p.m. today on channel 16 from a boater stating that his vessel, the Rum Runner III, was taking on water 50-nautical miles northwest of Hernando Beach, Fla., with eight people on board. An HH-60 rescue helicopter from Air Station Clearwater and the Coast Guard Cutter Marlin, home-ported in Ft. Myers, Fla., are en route to search the area for eight people in the water. However, the exact position of the vessel and its description are unknown. Coast Guard watch standers found three listings of a vessel named Rum Runner III in its systems, but each owner was contacted and reported no distress. It is unknown who the people are or if they have life jackets.
