by Wayne Spivak, National Press Corps, United States Coast Guard Auxiliary
with Dan Hess, Flotilla 07-03-08, Plantation, FL, United States Coast Guard Auxiliary

In many coastal communities, lights in the sky after dusk are a rare sight. In other areas of the country, they are commonplace. But streaking lights always make people look twice.

With the exception of the 4^th of July, these streaking or arcing lights at night should make you sit up and take notice. They are probably a Visual Distress Signal (VDS), commonly referred to as an Aerial Flare.

Here’s a story of recognizing a call for help, persistence and nautical knowledge, which saved the day.

The location is Cedar Key, Florida, the date April 6, 2004, the time 8 P.M. Upon entering a local eating establishment, a commotion was overheard with patrons that a flare had been seen about 15 minutes prior. While the diners discussed what to do, one smart waitress declared she had called the local Coast Guard Station to report the sighting.

Approximately 15 minutes went by before another flare was sighted. Our man on the scene estimated the distance to the flare to be one to two nautical miles. As he tried to flag down the waitress, another flare was sighted.

The Coast Guard Station was able to raise a Florida Wildlife and Game officer (FWG) who was in the area (the Coast Guard Station was approximately 20 miles away) and had access to an air boat (those flat bottom boats with the big fans for propulsion – such as those seen in the 1960’s TV series Flipper). When the FWG officer arrived at the dock, our man, who had been inside the restaurant, introduced himself to the state officer.

“Follow the Orion’s ‘knife sheath’ stars down to the waterline”, said the man, a member of the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. “This will place you in the approximate spot the flares were sighted.”

As our Auxiliarist watched the FWG officer maneuver his boat, the Auxiliarist saw that the officer was traveling too far west. Based upon his current course, the officer would never find the boat in distress. Thinking quickly, the Auxiliarist requested permission of a near-by boat owner to use his VHF radio.

Making contact with the Coast Guard, he was able to have them re-direct the FWG officer. He could hear the noise the airboat made to change course but then lost track of the airboat. In the meantime, a Coast Guard Patrol Boat arrived on scene, as well as extra Coast Guard members via land.

As they prepared to begin their search pattern, the FWG officer emerged from the darkness with five extra persons on board, clinging to his airboat.

The Auxiliarist, after talking with the survivors re-told their story.

A family’s 17-foot boat had run aground and got stuck high and dry after they went out of the marked channel. The family consisted of husband and wife, as well as their three little girls – an infant and two older girls, about eight and ten years old. All were OK, but obviously cold and a little shaken from the experience. They had no blankets or any way to stay warm overnight and they had no emergency supplies, even water. Luckily, the weather was good and the sea state calm, which made the search and rescue a little easier.