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Two men were rescued with reported mild hypothermia about two miles southeast of Kalgin Island on Saturday, according to the Coast Guard.

The island, located in Cook Inlet, is about 20 miles southwest of Kenai.

Phillip St. John, 55, who lives on Kalgin, and Vincent Bryant, 50, of Kenai, had departed the island Saturday morning in their 24-foot skiff, Lauren Nicole, on a routine run to Kenai, when they experienced mechanical troubles with the boat's motor.

According to St. John, water that had accumulated in the gas-water separator had frozen up in the subfreezing temperatures overnight, but there was still enough fuel in the line for the motor to start and run two miles before the problem became apparent.

St. John said they did not have the tools onboard to bypass the problem spot.

Bryant used his cell phone to contact the Alaska State Troopers, and his call was transferred to the Coast Guard at 6:28 a.m.

The cutter, Roanoke Island, arrived on the scene at 10:52 a.m., where the men boarded the rescue vessel and were treated and provided a shower, dry clothing and a meal, according to a statement released by the Coast Guard.

While the boat had taken a slight drift since becoming disabled, Petty Officer 1st Class David Mosley said that St. John and Bryant did not appear to be in any danger when the cutter arrived.

The two were brought to the Kenai River boat ramp at 5:51 p.m. with the skiff in tow.

The Coast Guard crew determined no further medical assistance was needed, but reported that when they conducted a routine boarding of the vessel at the dock they found multiple safety violations.

Mosley said there was only one life jacket onboard, there were no daytime visual distress signals such as flares and some registration information was missing.

St. John was warned that he was not to use the vessel again until he had met all the safety requirements.

Mosley said he was unsure if any fines would be levied against St. John.

"For a lot of violations, if they fix them and show proof, we're happy," he said. "Once they fix that, and show documentation, they're good to go."

St. John said that this was the last run for the boat this season, and that in the winter he flies to the island.

"It wasn't very interesting, but it was educational," he said.

Dante Petri can be reached at dante.petri@peninsulaclarion.com.