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© St. Petersburg Times, published October 15, 2001
The Coast Guard rescued four men Sunday who were clinging to their overturned boat in the Gulf of Mexico 19 nautical miles northwest of Cedar Key. The men, who were reported missing Sunday afternoon, were found by a rescue plane from the Coast Guard station in Clearwater about 30 minutes before nightfall. The plane dropped a life raft for the men until a rescue helicopter could arrive.
The men, all from the Cedar Key area, suffered mild hypothermia. Two were taken to a local hospital and two were treated at the station. The men left a marina in Cedar Key for a fishing trip early Saturday and were supposed to return later that night. The men were fortunate that they were found before nightfall, said Coast Guard Lt. Bob Villacres.