Fishermen rescued off Jacksonville, some after 24 hours in the water
Once again, a life lesson in ‘going down’ with the ship (or at least staying with it as long as you can). According to the Florida Sun-Sentinal and other sources:
” The five men were fishing in a 17-foot pleasure boat about 15 miles offshore when it began taking on water and capsized about 11 a.m. Saturday, Brzuska said.
Four of the five men decided to swim for shore. The man who stayed with the capsized boat was rescued by another boater about 6 p.m. Saturday, the Coast Guard said.”
Recapping the sequence of events:
1. Boat capsizes at 11am on Saturday
2. Person who stayed with the boat is rescued 7 hours later (even a capsized 17′ boat is a lot easier to see than a person)
3. Next rescue was at 8am on Sunday - 21 hours - of crew members 2 and 3
4. Crewmember 4 rescued ’shortly after’
5. Final crewmember picked up around 11am with hypothermia
Recapping, you are much more likely to have a good outcome if you stay with the boat. An EPIRB or waterproof handheld VHF radio can also be a lifesaver offshore.
