SW-INC-0622SeaWise Incidents

A 26 ft catamaran capsizes five miles south of Boot Key Harbor in the Florida Keys; a mayday on channel 16 brings a Coast Guard crew to the four people clinging to her hull

A small craft advisory was in effect. All four were taken off the overturned boat and brought ashore unhurt.

verified · 6 sourcesN6
Vessel
off Boot Key Harbor26 ft · Catamaran, 26 ft (sail or power not reported)
When
2026North Atlantic
Crew
4 aboardAll survived
Outcome
Rescued
Position
About 5 miles south of Boot Key Harbor, Marathon, Florida Keys
Sea area
Florida Keys, Atlantic side
Coordinates
24.63°N, -81.10°WApproximate position
Summary

What happened.

On 18 October 2026 a 26 ft catamaran capsized about five miles south of Boot Key Harbor, Marathon, in the Florida Keys, with a small craft advisory in effect. The four aboard sent a mayday on VHF channel 16 and clung to the hull until a Coast Guard crew from Station Marathon took them off. Nobody was hurt.

On Sunday 18 October 2026 Coast Guard Sector Key West watchstanders received a mayday call on VHF channel 16 from a 26 ft catamaran about five miles south of Boot Key Harbor, off Marathon in the Florida Keys. The boat had overturned, and the four people aboard were left clinging to the hull. A small craft advisory was in effect. A boat crew from Coast Guard Station Marathon went out, found all four with the overturned catamaran, and took them aboard. They were brought back to shore with no injuries reported, and the Coast Guard reported no pollution. The reports do not say whether the catamaran was a sailing or a power boat, what caused the capsize, or what happened to the boat afterwards. The Coast Guard reminded boaters to check the marine forecast before heading out.

ConditionsSunday 18 October 2026, time of day not reported. A small craft advisory was in effect. No report says whether the catamaran was a sailing or power boat, what made her capsize, whether those aboard wore life jackets, or what happened to the boat. Pin is hand-set and approximate (distance-offshore position). Sources: US Coast Guard District 7 release, Key West Citizen (19 Oct), WSVN and Fox 13 (18 Oct 2026).
SeaWise noteA catamaran is very stable right up until she goes over, and then she stays upside down. These four did the two things that matter most: they called on channel 16, and they stayed with the boat. Check the advisory before you leave, and plan how you would call from an upturned hull.
Lessons learned

What it teaches.

Sources

Where this comes from.

News· Google NewsU.S. Coast Guard rescues 4 after catamaran capsizes off the Florida KeysVisit ↗News· NBC 6 South FloridaU.S. Coast Guard rescues 4 after catamaran capsizes off the Florida KeysVisit ↗News· United States Coast Guard News (.mil)Coast Guard rescues 4 people from capsized vessel near Boot Key HarborVisit ↗News· FacebookThe Coast Guard said it responded to the area about 5 miles south of Boot Key Harbor in Marathon after receiving a mayday call from the 26-foot catamaran.Visit ↗News· WPBFCoast Guard rescues 4 people after catamaran capsized in KeysVisit ↗News· NBC 6 South Florida4 rescued after catamaran capsizes off the Florida KeysVisit ↗

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Record IDSW-INC-0622
Curated bySeaWise editorial
Confidenceverified · 6 sources
Record typeIncident

About SeaWise records: We catalogue sailing emergencies with structured metadata and link to primary sources rather than republishing them. Individual crew names are anonymised by default— sources we link to may name them publicly; SeaWise refers to roles ("the skipper", "the crew") on our pages. Submitter identities are always private.