A fishing boat skipper was stranded in the Gulf of Mexico for 8 days as Hurricane Milton struck Florida. Before finally being rescued by the US Coast Guard, the skipper had to endure severe problems in the water.
The skipper, whose name was never released, went out first at around 3 am on Wednesday to fix his broken ship’ Captain Dave,’ as reported by the Washington Post.
Around noon, the ship’s owner reported to the Coast Guard that the commander had n’t checked in. The US Coast Guard agency stated in the discharge that “watchstanders were able to make radio contact with the captain who reported the propeller was racked with a collection and became incapacitated while he was returning to port.”
The fishing boat earlier this week had broken down 20 miles off John’s Pass in Pinellas County, and the skipper and another staff member were found inside on Monday. However, salvage arrangements were made and the boat was left with the wreckage.
At that time, the Coast Guard reported gusts of around 30 mph and waves reaching 6-8 legs. The commander was instructed to wear a life jacket and maintain the ship’s emergency beacon close to prevent him from being discovered as Hurricane Milton approached.
But, by 6: 45 am, about two days before Milton made land 20 miles west of John’s Pass, the Coast Guard lost touch with him. At around 5:30 am on Thursday, the Coast Guard launched a laborious search and rescue operation, deploying both aircraft and helicopter personnel.
After a terrible evening of life, the commander was found clinging to a cooler 30 kilometers off Longboat Key, around 1: 30 am on Thursday, more than 8 hours later after touch was lost.
” This man survived in a nightmare scenario for even the most experienced mariner”, Lt. Cmdr. Dana Grady, the Coast Guard’s control centre chief in St. Petersburg, Fla., said in a news release.
The unknown captain managed to survive the extreme conditions in a very dangerous situation. ” He experienced the severity of the hurricane circumstances, we estimate he experienced about 75-90 mph winds, 20-25 base tides, for an extended period of time to incorporate overnight”, Grady said in the release.
” He survived because of a life coat, his disaster position indicating finder pillar, and a cooler”, Grady said.
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