The man’s 36-foot sailboat became disabled and started taking on the water nearly 25 miles off the coast.
CLEARWATER, Fla. — Coast Guard crews rescued a man and his dog who were stranded at sea after their sailboat took on water in the Gulf of Mexico as Hurricane Helene tracked toward Florida on Thursday.
The man’s 36-foot sailboat became disabled and started taking on the water nearly 25 miles off Sanibel Island, U.S. Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater shared in a Facebook post.
As of the latest advisory, Hurricane Helene remains a Category 4 storm as it is expected to bring damaging hurricane winds and storm surge Thursday evening to the Big Bend region of Florida.
As Hurricane Helene nears the northeast Gulf Coast, it’s expected to bring “catastrophic” winds and storm surge to parts of the region, according to the National Hurricane Center.
Tampa Bay county leaders are urging residents to shelter in place as the storm moves through the area. Earlier on Thursday, a jet skier in Hillsborough County had to be rescued after he got stuck in a submerged wall as the hurricane picked up.
Later on Thursday night, a driver was killed on I-4 by a falling road sign.
For the latest trajectory on Hurricane Helene, click here.
Editor’s note: A prior version of this story said the man was rescued off the coast of Clearwater. He was rescued off the coast of Sanibel Island in Southwest Florida by the U.S> Coast Guard Air Station Clearwater. This story has been updated.
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