Boat captain rode out Hurricane Milton clinging to a cooler in Gulf of Mexico until rescue
“This man survived in a nightmare scenario for even the most experienced mariner," Lt. Cmdr. Dana Grady, Sector St. Petersburg's command center chief, said in a statement.
A man, wearing a lift jacket and clinging to a cooler, was rescued 30 miles off Longboat Key, Florida, by the U.S. Coast Guard after surviving being adrift in the ocean during Hurricane Milton.
A fishing boat captain who clung to a cooler in the waters of the Gulf of Mexico overnight Wednesday into Thursday as Hurricane Milton passed over Florida was rescued by the U.S. Coast Guard Thursday afternoon.
“This man survived in a nightmare scenario for even the most experienced mariner," Lt. Cmdr. Dana Grady, Sector St. Petersburg's command center chief, said in a statement. "To understand the severity of the hurricane conditions, we estimate he experienced approximately 75-90 mph winds and 20-25 foot seas for an extended period of time including overnight. He survived because of a life jacket, his emergency position indicating locator beacon, and a cooler."
Airplane and helicopter crews from Air Station Clearwater and Air Station Miami launched at around 5:30 a.m. Thursday to search for the missing boat captain. He was located "clinging to a cooler wearing a life jacket" at around 1:30 p.m. approximately 30 miles off Longboat Key, a barrier island just north of Siesta Key, where Milton made landfall Wednesday night as a Category 3 hurricane.
He was hoisted to safety by an Air Station Miami helicopter crew and transported to Tampa General Hospital.
It was the captain's second rescue this week. At around 12:40 p.m. on Monday, the captain of the fishing vessel Capt. Dave reported to Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg that he and a crew member were disabled approximately 20 miles off John's Pass. An Air Station Clearwater helicopter crew hoisted them to safety, and the vessel was left adrift until salvage arrangements could be made.
However, the captain returned to the disabled boat to make repairs at around 3 a.m. Wednesday. The vessel's owner contacted Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg watchstanders at around noon Wednesday to report that the captain hadn't checked in.
Watchstanders made radio contact, and the captain reported that the rudder was fouled with a line and became disabled during his transit back to port. At the time, there were 6–8 foot seas and approximately 30 mph winds, and the weather was rapidly deteriorating. Watchstanders instructed the captain to don a life jacket and stay in the vessel's emergency position, indicating the radio beacon.
Communication with the captain was lost at around 6:45 p.m. Wednesday, and he was stranded alone at sea during the hurricane until his rescue on Thursday.
Reporting by TMX
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