| Career highlight: Captains rescue four men |
By Lucy Chabot Reed
Coming back from the Miami Boat Show in mid-February, Capt. Kent Kohlberger and Capt. Andrew Deas had an afternoon they'll never forget.
Taking Kohlberger's new command – the 95-foot M/Y Financial Statement – to a photo shoot with several other Cheoy Lees, they spotted a capsized boat about three miles offshore of Haulover Inlet in North Miami.
It was about 12:20 p.m., and as they got closer, they saw four people holding onto the hull.
The Cuban-American men weren't wearing life jackets and had no identification.
"Some were still wearing their running shoes," Kohlberger said. "I think they'd been in the water less than an hour."
Kohlberger and Deas pulled the men, all estimated to be in their 30s, on deck. They were excited and scared but spoke little English, Kohlberger said. He gave them towels and dry polo shirts and radioed for help.
The U.S. Coast Guard wouldn't permit the yacht to bring the stranded men into port, so officers met them at the Port Everglades sea buoy, he said. It took about three hours to get under way again.
"If you can save someone, it makes you feel good inside," Kohlberger said. "Both Andrew and I were stoked the whole day."
M/Y Financial Statement had been running at 18 knots about a quarter mile farther offshore than the other yachts in their party. The day was clear with 2- to 4-foot seas and 5-10 knots, according to Kohlberger's log book.
"We don't know, but we suspect there might have been a missing plug," he said.
In a 1 7 -year career, Kohlberger said he's "worked on people" who have had heart attacks and strokes, but he's never rescued anyone before.
"That was a highlight of my career," he said. "There's no second chance on the water.
Contact Editor Lucy Chabot Reed at lucy@the-triton.com .
Capt. Kent Kohlberger was a hero in February. PHOTO/LUCY REED
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