RIKKI S

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Course/Position

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Tug crew saved dehydrated men from raft

The "Rikki S" saved two overdue boaters approximately 90 miles northwest of Tarpon Springs, Florida., at about 6:30 p.m. on June 28, 2012. They were located in their inflatable raft. The men reported their their barge sank in the Gulf of Mexico while on their way to Cancun, Mexico. Watchstanders at the 7th Coast Guard District command center in Miami received notification from the tug master stating that he was on scene with two dehydrated males in a raft off Tarpon Springs. The Coast Guard Cutter "Bonito" from Pensacola, Fla., was diverted and arrived on scene. The "Bonito"'s crew transfered the survivors to the cutter and transported them to Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg, Fla., to awaiting EMS crews. The USCG Sector St. Petersburg watchstanders received a call at approximately 11 a.m. on June 24 from a friend of one of the men stating the two men left from Captiva Island, Fla., on June 18 and were scheduled to arrive in Cancun on June 23. It was reported the men had not arrived in Cancun on their scheduled date and had not made contact with anyone to updte their position. The Coast Guard launched a C-130 aircraft from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Fla., at approximately 1 p.m. on June 24 to search the Gulf of Mexico and continued searching by air until the two survivors found.