Search for boaters hits home with Eckerd College rescue team

The recent boating accident in the Gulf of Mexico serves as a reminder to Ryan Dilke that the work of the Eckerd College Search and Rescue Program is important.

Dilke, 32, the coordinator of the college's program, said that watching the search effort has weighed heavily on his students' minds and raised awareness for the program.

One of four football players was rescued Monday after being washed overboard Saturday when high waves flipped their boat anchored 38 miles off Clearwater. Three were still missing Tuesday.

Fifty Eckerd students participate in the not-for-credit, volunteer search and rescue program. Split into teams of three, they provide 24-hour coverage for an area 10 nautical miles off the coast in the bay area. Using four boats, they've conducted more than 500 boat assists in the past year.

The program is funded through donations and fundraising. "It helps students grow into responsible young adults," said Dilke.

"We have a number who have graduated with thick resumes and gone on to careers in law enforcement, emergency response work and other fields."

Most of the time the teams rescue stranded boaters whose engine may have broken down and need to be towed. Sometimes, the situation is scarier — like when boats have run aground in shallow water and launched people forward.

The program requires dedication. Freshmen might work 8 to 12 hours per week, whereas seniors may put in 20 to 25 hours. Last year, it cost $50,000 to operate the teams. Andrew Porter, 19, joined the program last year as a freshman. A former lifeguard, he thought it would be a good way to help out. He participated in a boater assist last week with a stranded vessel. "You just try to stay as calm as you can," he said.

On March 14 the group will host its 23rd annual Marine Yard Sale to benefit the program. Scott Ferrara, who handles fundraising for the rescue program, spends the year collecting donated items, including used boats and scuba gear that are then sold to help fund the program. He said he has received more inquiries the past few days about the program because of the search for the football players.

"The awareness that (the) search and rescue program is quite large and is in desperate needs in financial (hard) times has definitely been raised," he said. "We don't charge the public when we go out to any cases for the search and rescue team."

Austin Bogues can be reached at abogues@sptimes.com or (727) 893-8872.