2 floated an hour in bay before Coast Guard got them back on watercraft

ST. PETERSBURG — The Coast Guard came to the rescue of two people who floated for about an hour off Pinellas Point after their personal watercraft capsized Sunday.

The two were in distress when the crew of a 29-foot rescue vessel from the St. Petersburg station reached them Sunday in the waters of Tampa Bay, the Coast Guard said. The crew safely returned the two to their watercraft and they left under their own power.

No injuries were reported.

A Good Samaritan had reported to the Coast Guard that the personal watercraft was adrift, the agency said.

The Coast Guard used the incident to remind people about the importance of wearing a personal flotation device on the water.

“Life jackets only work if you wear them,” Capt. Matthew Thompson, Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg commander, said in a news release Monday. “If you’re going out on the water this weekend, especially on a personal watercraft, canoe or standup paddleboard, please wear a life jacket.”