Nick Schuyler, who was apparently the lone survivor of the tragedy at sea that seems to have taken the lives of two NFL players and a third man, has been filling in the details on the last hours of his comrades' lives.
It's a harrowing tale. A few hours after the boat capsized Saturday evening, the pro football players apparently gave up, took off their life jackets and permitted themselves to be washed out to sea.
Sometime Monday morning, the third man reportedly thought he saw a light in the distance and decided to take off his life jacket and swim to it.
Schuyler's story may or may not be accurate. As a cousin of one of the NFL players said, "We're not 100% sure where his head was at. He'd been through a lot."
It is possible that the men may yet be found. But it has now been four days, and it would truly be miraculous if they managed to survive in the chilly waters of the Gulf of Mexico.
Even so, the Coast Guard has suspended the search, and the three men now appear to be presumed dead.
Showing posts with label missing at sea. Show all posts
Showing posts with label missing at sea. Show all posts
Wednesday, March 4, 2009
Tuesday, March 3, 2009
Hope Dwindles in Search for NFL Players
The Coast Guard apparently has told the father of one of the two NFL players still missing at sea that hope for his rescue is dwindling because so much time has passed and the chilly waters are likely to have caused hypothermia.
But the sister of one of the players says that is not the message the rest of the family has been given. Maybe that is the truth. Maybe the families have been told something else to prevent them from panicking. And maybe the woman is simply putting on a brave face in public.
But, realistically, it is hard to imagine three men, separated from their boat many miles out at sea, could still be alive, even if they were wearing life jackets.
One of those life jackets apparently has been found, but no one — alive or dead — was wearing it.
Concerns about hypothermia stem from the fact that temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico have been in the mid- to upper 60s. Hypothermia can set in after 18 hours in water registering 64 degrees.
But, as CNNSI.com reports, "Working in the men's favor are their size and physical condition." Both of the NFL players are more than 6 feet tall and weigh more than 200 pounds. Their companion is a former college football player and a current physical trainer.
Even so, at this point, it's been more than 70 hours since the boat was reported overdue. How many of those hours may have been spent in the water, no one will know until the as–yet lone survivor is able to pinpoint more precisely the time when the boat capsized. What he has said, reportedly, is that the boat flipped when the anchor was being pulled up Saturday evening.
The man was found clinging to the boat about 35 miles from Clearwater yesterday.
But the sister of one of the players says that is not the message the rest of the family has been given. Maybe that is the truth. Maybe the families have been told something else to prevent them from panicking. And maybe the woman is simply putting on a brave face in public.
But, realistically, it is hard to imagine three men, separated from their boat many miles out at sea, could still be alive, even if they were wearing life jackets.
One of those life jackets apparently has been found, but no one — alive or dead — was wearing it.
Concerns about hypothermia stem from the fact that temperatures in the Gulf of Mexico have been in the mid- to upper 60s. Hypothermia can set in after 18 hours in water registering 64 degrees.
But, as CNNSI.com reports, "Working in the men's favor are their size and physical condition." Both of the NFL players are more than 6 feet tall and weigh more than 200 pounds. Their companion is a former college football player and a current physical trainer.
Even so, at this point, it's been more than 70 hours since the boat was reported overdue. How many of those hours may have been spent in the water, no one will know until the as–yet lone survivor is able to pinpoint more precisely the time when the boat capsized. What he has said, reportedly, is that the boat flipped when the anchor was being pulled up Saturday evening.
The man was found clinging to the boat about 35 miles from Clearwater yesterday.
Monday, March 2, 2009
Missing at Sea
Two NFL players — Detroit's Corey Smith, now a free agent, and Oakland's Marquis Cooper — have been missing off Florida's Gulf Coast since Saturday night. They were accompanied on their fishing trip by two former University of South Florida football players.
The men were supposed to return from their trip on Saturday night but failed to do so. Conditions were choppy on Sunday but not so bad, from the reports I've read, on Saturday.
No distress signal was received, and reports I've read indicate that Smith and Cooper were experienced fishermen. The possibility has been suggested that the boat developed engine trouble and the occupants may have decided to ride out the storm where they were.
Their boat has been described as "unsinkable." Of course, so was the Titanic.
My understanding is that the search will resume this morning.
At this point, all most of us can do is wait — and hope for the best.
Like Cooper's wife, who told the CNN affiliate in Tampa yesterday that "[i]t feels like my greatest fear coming true — it doesn't feel real."
But she also said of her husband, a deep sea fishing enthusiast who owns the vessel, "I have a lot of faith in him out there."
The men were supposed to return from their trip on Saturday night but failed to do so. Conditions were choppy on Sunday but not so bad, from the reports I've read, on Saturday.
No distress signal was received, and reports I've read indicate that Smith and Cooper were experienced fishermen. The possibility has been suggested that the boat developed engine trouble and the occupants may have decided to ride out the storm where they were.
Their boat has been described as "unsinkable." Of course, so was the Titanic.
My understanding is that the search will resume this morning.
At this point, all most of us can do is wait — and hope for the best.
Like Cooper's wife, who told the CNN affiliate in Tampa yesterday that "[i]t feels like my greatest fear coming true — it doesn't feel real."
But she also said of her husband, a deep sea fishing enthusiast who owns the vessel, "I have a lot of faith in him out there."
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