RedactedNarrative: On 3/22/17 at approximately 1050 hours, I Officer with the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission was dispatched to a sinking vessel in the area of Pineda CSWY in the Banana River.  At approximately 1055 hours, I arrived at Pineda CSWY and got a visual on the vessel.  The vessel was approximately half a mile north of the causeway.  I waved down a passing vessel and asked if they would take me to the sinking vessel.  At approximately 1106 hours, I was on scene (N 28 13.8263, W 80 38.2205) and I made contact with the four subjects who were on the vessel.  The vessel was a white 41 foot wood cabin cruiser named Mia’s Legacy.  The vessel was starting to list toward the port side and was clearly aground.  The water depth in that area was approximately five feet deep.  Each subject was moved onto a separate vessel from Manatee Cove Marina.  
  
  	I interviewed the operator of the vessel once we were back at Manatee Cove Marina.  He explained to me that the vessel started taking on water and the bilge pump could not keep up with the volume of water that was coming in.  The vessel was taking on water because the seal around the inboard drive shaft failed and had separated from the wood hull.  He turned the vessel toward shallow water and ran it as shallow as it would go so that the whole vessel would not be submerged.  He had already made contact with Tow Boat U.S. and had them on the way to recover the vessel.  He told me that he would probably have to scrap the vessel because of all of the saltwater damage.  He said the vessel was worth approximately $25,000.  
  	As I was driving back over Pineda CSWY, I saw Tow Boat US heading in the direction of the sunk vessel.  
  	End of report.
  