A distress call came in just after 2 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
The U.S. Coast Guard said its Jacksonville’s sector received a mayday call from missing vessel “Drop Hook Charters” at 2:17 pm.
#Breaking @USCG is actively searching for fishing vessel Drop Hook Charters, 12 Nautical Miles northeast of the St. Johns Inlet, #Jacksonville. At 2:17pm today, Sector Jacksonville received a Mayday call from this fishing vessel. Anyone with info call 904-714-7561. #Sar #USCG pic.twitter.com/XHWNDHtRSm
— USCGSoutheast (@USCGSoutheast) August 29, 2020
Mike Ardolino is the captain of the boat that’s based out of Mayport.
He along with a group left for a fishing trip Saturday morning but never returned.
It was an emotional day for family and friends of passengers who were on board.
BREAKING: “Please send prayers” Coast Guard searching for missing fishing vessel near #Jacksonville “Drop Hook Charters” sent out an emergency call at 2:17 p.m. Search crews are still out on the water @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/Mdz3z8KgID
— Jamarlo Phillips (@JamarloANjax) August 29, 2020
“They left this morning and the last known word from my brother to his wife was at 7:45 a.m. that they were done catching bait,” said Christopher Steigler.
Others stood waiting patiently for a safe return.
“When I heard about this I had to come down here because I had been trying to call him,” said a friend of boat captain Greg Reid.
But after waiting hours they got the call they had been waiting for throughout the night.
Action News Jax captured the charter boat docking at Mayport Boat Ramp where it took off.
GOOD NEWS: Missing charter boat and a group of men who were on it including the captain are safe tonight. Coast Guard is currently searching the boat and talking to the men who left for a fishing trip early this morning. @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/zvuZsyn6zh
— Jamarlo Phillips (@JamarloANjax) August 30, 2020
Captain Ardolino and several of his passengers were on the boat waiting for the Coast Guard to finish its search.
“In situations like this, it means a lot that the community would come together and help another man. That’s what we were doing, we were searching for someone we thought was in distress after seeing flares go up which is why this whole thing even started,” Ardolino explained.
WOW: “We were never in distress” Hear from the charter boat captain tonight on @ActionNewsJax pic.twitter.com/HqZDVS3whz
— Jamarlo Phillips (@JamarloANjax) August 30, 2020
Ardolino says they still don’t know why flares appeared offshore but he’s just happy that everyone is safe and will be going home to their families.
Cox Media Group
