Coast Guard ends search for missing male boater near Cortez Bridge

CORTEZ, Fla. - The Coast Guard ended their search for a possible missing male boater near the Cortez Bridge after locating him Saturday at about 9:30 a.m., at the Moore's Stone Crab Restaurant & Marina in Longboat Key, Fla.,

A Good Samaritan contacted search-and-rescue coordinators at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg, Fla., at about 9 a.m., after watching the news and reported to of seen Amos’s boat moored at the marina and Amos near the restaurant.

Sid Longo contacted search-and-rescue coordinators at Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg, Fla., at about 2 p.m., Friday, reporting that his friend Peter Amos, a United Kingdom native left St. Petersburg Municipal Marina, in the 30-foot sailing vessel Lady Grace and was last reported to be near the Cortez Bridge. Amos left to Glades Boat Storage in Moore Haven, Fla., Wednesday and was supposed to check in with Longo daily.

A HH-60 Jayhawk rescue helicopter from Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater, Fla., along with a 25-foot rescue boat crew from Station Cortez and a 33-foot rescue boat crew from Station Ft. Myers Beach, Fla., searched the area for Amos.

“It is very important that boaters leave a float plan with a friend, relative, or marina and follow their float plan,” said Chief Petty Officer Constance Saint John, search and rescue coordinator at Sector St. Petersburg. “Checking in with family or friends periodically during a voyage will eliminate any misunderstanding of distress. Boaters should always have the proper safety equipment and multiple means of communication including VHF radio, cell phone, and Electronic Position Indicating Radio Beacon (EPIRB) onboard their vessel.”

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