The story could have ended tragically for this fisherman. Thursday, after Hurricane Milton hit Florida, the man found himself adrift in the water, clinging to a simple cooler. According to the United States Coast Guard press release, the crew of a Coast Guard Air Station Miami helicopter rescued a man on Thursday, approximately 50 kilometers off the coast of Longboat Key.
On Monday, the captain of the fishing boat Capt. Dave reported to the St. Petersburg Sector Coast Guard that at approximately 12:40 p.m., he and a crew member were disabled by the hurricane approximately 30 kilometers off the coast of John’s Pass.
Radio contact established at night
Wednesday, around noon, the boat’s owner Capt. Dave reported to the St. Petersburg Sector Coast Guard that the captain returned to the boat to make repairs around 3 a.m. and failed to show up.
The watchmen were able to establish radio contact with the captain who indicated that the rudder was clogged with a line and that it had become stuck while returning to port.
“A nightmare scenario”
Weather conditions deteriorated rapidly as the storm approached. The coast guard asked the captain to put on a life jacket and stay in contact with the ship’s emergency locator transmitter. The monitoring teams lost communication around 6:45 p.m. Wednesday evening.
“This man survived a nightmare scenario for even the most experienced sailors,” said Lieutenant Commander Dana Grady, head of the St. Petersburg Sector Command Center. “To understand the severity of the hurricane’s conditions, we estimate that it faced winds of 120 to 140 km/h, for an extended period of time, including at night. He survived thanks to his life jacket, his emergency locator beacon and a cooler. »
