Missing Boaters - NFL Players

I heard this story earlier today. Knowing the weather was going to get bad later that day, a 21 foot center console should not have been out there. I hope they all had life jackets on, and will be found ok.
 
Blowing 35 knots today, seas 13-14 ft. offshore. Definitely got breezy yesterday afternoon, but nothing like last night into today. Hope they're OK.

The updated report says they were aboard an Everglades. Like B/W, supposedly unsinkable.
 
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Looks like they paid the ultimate price for bad decision making skills. Sorry for the families.
 
I was out yesterday and it was rough in the ICW. I listened to the marine radio traffic today about the search. As tobnpr mentioned is very rough today. Wishing the best, but it's not looking good.
 
The story was just on CNN. The Coast Guard is still looking for them. Their plan was to take their single engine 21 foot boat, 50 miles offshore with forecasts calling for 7 ft seas. My brain didn't want accept what I was hearing.
 
If the winds and seas down there are like they are up here yesterday or today, you'd need to have your big-boy pants on to go fishing in a single engine 21' CC boat.
 
fc3 said:
Looks like they paid the ultimate price for bad decision making skills. Sorry for the families.
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It may be so, but I'm reserving judgement on this until more is known (IF more is ever known).
The weather Saturday, into Saturday evening, wasn't "serious" until Sat night when SCA was issued. Buoy reports far offshore showed seas at 4'-5' into Saturday evening. The timing of the front was pretty much as predicted by the NWS.

Uncomfortable, sure- but not beyond the capability of a 21' Everglades with an experienced captain. Still blowing 20 kts. this morning. Unfortunately, the water temp offshore is still around 60 degrees.
 
Judging from the initial conditions, it sounds like engine failure. The only thing an experienced captain can do after that in a single engine is to throw out a sea anchor in such a way to keep the craft afloat.
 
tobnpr said:
The weather Saturday, into Saturday evening, wasn't "serious" until Sat night when SCA was issued. Buoy reports far offshore showed seas at 4'-5' into Saturday evening. The timing of the front was pretty much as predicted by the NWS.

Uncomfortable, sure- but not beyond the capability of a 21' Everglades with an experienced captain.....
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Since I've never dealt with a 21' Everglades is it really able to handle 4' - 7'+- Seas???(another poster said 7' seas) Not sure how an experienced captain could make a decision to be 50+- miles off shore with a storm/high seas/winds on its way.
 
And with four 200 to 300+ pound athletes in a boat that size, I bet it was at or near capacity weight wise. Imagine a wave hitting the boat broadside with all those guys on the wrong side of the boat! I also wonder how good of swimmers they were/are too.
 
Considering what the conditions were on Saturday there was no way they should have left the harbor. It was blowing hard by 10:00 am along the gulf.
 
Hampton said:
Judging from the initial conditions, it sounds like engine failure. The only thing an experienced captain can do after that in a single engine is to throw out a sea anchor in such a way to keep the craft afloat.
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Hi John,

I normally hold your posts in very high regard. I’m going to assume you were simply in a hurry and were not able to think your post thru.

Given your day job and trading that is beyond what most of us here will ever experience, what would you do in addition to putting out a sea anchor?

OK, say the engine is dead.

Lets say they don’t have a sea anchor. Do they have a bucket? Tie the bucket handle onto a line and secure it to a bow cleat. It may or may not last but should help keep the boat bow into the wind. This is done to reduce cockpit flooding at least to the point that the scuppers can keep up.

Have everyone put on as many layers of clothing as possible, shoes included. This is to protect from hypothermia. Then make sure everyone is wearing a PFD and it’s properly secured.

Try to issue a distress signal. If you have an EPIRB, flip it. If you have a VHF, issue a mayday, broadcasting your vessel name, location (GPS cords if you have it) and situation and number of soles onboard then repeat.

If you see another vessel, send up a visual distress signal.

Prepare to ditch. Divide some rations including visual distress signals amongst the passengers. Assuming you have lost power, secure lines to the various cleats on the boat. If you can safely, get a line secured from a cleat on one side of the boat, under the boat and to the other side and secured to another cleat. Do this by securing one end then, holding onto the bitter end, get the mid of the line over the bow then pull on the bitter end. If the boat does flood and the boat flips over this line will give you something to hold onto.

Secure the type IV flotation device to a line and secure the other end of the line to a cleat. Toss it in the water. If someone does fall overboard its there to grab on the downwind side.

Make sure all passengers understand that in open water if the boat does swamp and flip, stay with the boat.

I’m sure there is more but I’d like to see what the fellow CSR members would do.

Also John, if you would do other things please let us know.

My SCUBA instructor, an ex-navy man, told me something and it stuck. He said if he were ever in a situation where he had to ditch and he could only get to his wetsuit or a PFD he would grab the wetsuit. The reason is he felt he could swim longer then survive in cold water. I’m in a cold part of the country. We keep wetsuits for our family onboard. We use them during water sports but I always keep in the back of my mind that if we were miles from shore and sinking I would have everyone put on their wetsuits then their PFD’s. I’m sure I’ll take crap for this since it goes against the boater’s safety standard education.

BTW, I have only been in a very bad on the water situation once. A thunderstorm turned very bad. People did perish but not on the boat I was on. I don’t talk about it much but having been thru it is something I would never joke about.


CSR members, what would you do?
 
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chuck1 said:
Since I've never dealt with a 21' Everglades is it really able to handle 4' - 7'+- Seas???(another poster said 7' seas) Not sure how an experienced captain could make a decision to be 50+- miles off shore with a storm/high seas/winds on its way.
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I used to own a 22' walkaround with a single 200 merc. This when I was younger (and a lot more resilient). Used to fish 3'-5' , albeit closer to shore because it was slow running and beat the crap outta those on the boat. Was caught in summer t-storms that were an honest 6'-8' a couple of times. Can the boat take it- yes, in a word. PROVIDED there is an experienced captain aboard that knows how to run the boat in rough seas and power was not lost. It's all speculation at this point. The boat could have lost power and turned turtle in the trough (would explain why there was no distress call). Could have been fighting the seas and run out of fuel... no one knows.

Again, the Middle Grounds buoy (operated by the NWS) showed that seas were only 4' or so far offshore up to around 8 p.m. Saturday night. Seas did not build to dangerous levels until later Saturday night when they were already supposed to have returned.
 
Local news is reporting that the USCG has located an overturned vessel near Egmont Key with an individual clinging to the boat.
 
"The small fishing boat carrying four former Buccaneer and USF football players has reportedly been located with one survivor — Nick Schuyler, who is reportedly awake and talking to his rescuers — 30 miles west of Tampa Bay. Schuyler is being taken to Tampa General Hospital."
 
I’m holding out hope for the other three. All were wearing life jackets according to the person that has been found.

Please note that the person found was clinging to the boat.

I am still hoping we can learn form this. If you are not by the shore you are best off sticking with the vessel even if it’s inverted. This is far easier if you have secured some lines before the boat capsizes.
 
Presentation said:
If you are not by the shore you are best off sticking with the vessel even if it’s inverted. This is far easier if you have secured some lines before the boat capsizes.
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I always keep the stern lines secured to the cleats and stowed in the transom locker. I wonder if others do this. It is more for convenience than safety.
 
It has always been recommended that you STAY WITH THE VESSEL. Who knows if the other three were conscious or too weak to hang on. Very sad and sobering. Reminds you to always maintain respect for the forces of Nature and be mindful of the weather and the forecast. I won't even tell my wife and daughter about this. It's tough as it is to get them out on the Atlantic.
 
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