On the day of October 22, 2013 , the vessel "Razorback" a 70' SeaRay, operated by the captain struck the rock jetty approximately a mile from green channel marker 1 in the Northwest Channel. On board the vessel with Captain was the owners, and also the first mate. The vessel departed Moss Marine out of Ft. Myers at approximately 0730 hours en route to Key West. At approximately 1430 hours the vessel was traveling at 17 knots when it struck the rock jetty in the Northwest Channel west of Key West. After interviewing all occupants on board, the captain and first mate stated they were at the helm when the captain noticed what he thought was a grass line in the distance. After seeing several grass lines throughout the day the captain checked his GPS system and said it showed eight feet of water and no obstacles beneath the surface and made the decision to navigate over the grass line. 

When crossing over what he thought was a grass line, he noticed that the grass line was in fact a rock jetty. At that time the captain stated that it was to late and he could not stop or redirect the vessel. The vessel struck the rocks of the jetty beneath the surface and came to an immediate stop. He directed his mate to go check the engine room in the stern of the vessel to see if everything was ok. Upon checking the engine room the mate observed the vessel taking on water rapidly and ran back to the helm to inform the captain. The captain immediately notified USCG for help. The mate and two other passengers/owners gathered their belongings and retreated to safety on a small vessel that was being towed behind the Razorback. Shortly after the captain got all passengers off the sinking vessel USCG and Key West Recovery arrived on scene. The Recovery company immediately started pumping out the water from the hull and patched the damage to the vessel. The vessel was towed to Robby's Marina to have the damages assessed and repaired. The Captain was issued a citation for careless operation.
KEY WEST