USCG Searching For Missing Football Players

[bowman316]

Re: USCG Searching For Missing Football Players

Wonder how the life jacket came off.
They don't just slip off.
maybe it was an extra one.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: USCG Searching For Missing Football Players

something sounds fishy about this. Maybe foul play? who knows what happened out there. how did they get seaperated?

Being immersed in water sucks body heat out of a person very quickly. That is why it is important to get out of the water if you can. The problem is that it is very hard to stay on top of an inverted boat in any condition other than one that is nearly calm. Schuyler seems to have survived because he was able to sit on the aft part of the bottom and hang onto the lower unit of the motor.

For those that were in the water, what could be expected is that they would begin to lose physical coordination and mental acuity. From that point, if they are not tethered to the boat and/or each other, they tend to just "slip away." Without PFDs, drowning occurs at that point and with them (PFD), the person just drifts off into the ocean.

In 68 degree water, maximum survival time is about 40 hours. In 64 degree water, its much less. I keep reading quotes in articles stating that the players might have better chances because they are "big." Unfortunately, its not that simple. According to information that I have read, a person with more body fat will tend to ward off hypothermia longer, while a lean person is more susceptable to it. This being the case, being a "big" athlete isn't going to be in their favor simply because they probably have lean, muscled bodies.

I don't really think foul play is an issue. What seems to have happened is pretty much as might be expected. Its unfortunate and I think everyone wants to hold out hope, but I think we will see the USCG suspend the search soon.

 

[KurtG]

Re: USCG Searching For Missing Football Players

Does an average PFD have enough flotation for someone their size and condition (I'm assuming less fat than the average person their weight)?

I sink like a rock even with a thick wetsuit on- no need for dive weights.

 

[bowman316]

Re: USCG Searching For Missing Football Players

If they could get the life jackets from under the boat, why couldn't they get a rope and tie it to the lower unit or a cleat. I usually keep a rope tied to a cleat, with the other end just sitting there.

 

[jakebrake]

Re: USCG Searching For Missing Football Players

mark42...AMEN! they teach you to stay with the boat in a basic boater's safety class. the uscg,uscga, and usps will scream it, sadly, to deaf ears.

i pray for safe passage home for all.

we can only hope that this opens the eyes of a few people, and makes them realize training is paramount. the best boat can sink (can we say "titanic?) ,the best gps has batteries that will die (despite what the pink bunny says) , and the coast guard can only do so much(despite what we say).

 

[seaman campbell]

Re: USCG Searching For Missing Football Players

USCG just announced as of 630 pm the search will be called off. All hope seems to be lost. Prayers for the families of those lost to the sea.

TC

 

[OldePharte]

Re: USCG Searching For Missing Football Players

I would hope that the families can turn this tragedy into an education for everyone else.

 

[rainman1999]

Re: USCG Searching For Missing Football Players

Truley tragic, we can only pray for a miracle at this point. A sea anchor is what you want in a storm, not a grounded one. I've been looking at those epirbs and right now the price doesn't seem so steep to me!

 

[Bob_VT]

Re: USCG Searching For Missing Football Players

USCG just announced as of 630 pm the search will be called off. All hope seems to be lost. Prayers for the families of those lost to the sea.

TC

I just read that there was a lifejacket and a cooler found and the search was "suspended" ....... like everyone else I just pray for the families.

 

[OldePharte]

Re: USCG Searching For Missing Football Players

Truley tragic, we can only pray for a miracle at this point. A sea anchor is what you want in a storm, not a grounded one. I've been looking at those epirbs and right now the price doesn't seem so steep to me!

For those of you who are coastal boater types, Aren't there places where one could rent them? I want to think that BOAT/US was pushing the idea.

 

[Beefer]

Re: USCG Searching For Missing Football Players

It is a terrible tragedy, and my prayers go out to those involved.

I've heard that (unbelieveably) the anchor was tied to a stern cleat. If this is correct, no doubt they were swamped, and fast. Possibly the bilge pump was either not working, or not really large enough to overcome the swamping, causing them to list and capsize.

The question that has been bugging me since the first "more at 11" news-blurb about missing boaters, was, who the H-E-double hockey sticks would have gone out 50 miles with that front moving in Saturday? All afternoon and night here (I'm 1 mile from the Gulf, 4 miles south of Clearwater Pass) the wind was howling, and then the rains came. This was not a surprise development in the weather. This front was known and came in as scheduled. I was particularly surprised when I found out it was a 21-foot CC, which I initially attributed this fishing trip to either 1) a vacationer determined to fish or b) an inexperienced boater who thought he could beat Mother Nature. As Cooper was a well-known avid fisherman in the area, I was totally amazed he would have taken such risks.

There are still alot of unanswered questions, and alot of armchair-quarterbacking about what happened that day. Fortunately, there was at least one survivor (still hopeful about the other 3), so in time all the information will come out.

Since we're hypothesizing about what happened out there, I'll add my guess about what happened to the other 3. I think they all initially stayed with the boat, but during the course of the night, either slipped off or were thrown/washed off the boat, and were unable to get back. Sad but simple. The effects of hypothermia are many, and can take hold relatively quickly. I also have some question in my mind (ok, bash away at me), about the sobriety level of those on the boat. If there was any alcohol or anything else in their systems, their judgement and physical condition & abilities may have been diminished just enough to make a difference.

I hope every boater/fisherman out there that followed this story learned at least one thing from their misfortune. There was a lot of things in this whole story that contributed to the outcome, each of which could have easily been avoided. No fish is worth the risk.

I hope this upcoming season we all have what is intended; a fun and SAFE time boating and fishing with our families, friends, clients, and whoever else boards our vessels. And remember, as the Captain, it is your duty and responsibility to make decisions that affect the safety, well-being, and overall experience of those onboard. Make them good memories.

May Neptune take care of those if they aren't found, and may their families find peace.

 

[tashasdaddy]

Re: USCG Searching For Missing Football Players

knowing several retired and active college/pro football players, some of them think they are above the elements. bossy, pushy, think they can get away with it. of course i also know some very nice and considerate guys.

 

[bowman316]

Re: USCG Searching For Missing Football Players

I heard that the two nfl palyers got swept away first, then the two other guys huddled together, and stayed with the boat a litttle longer, until the other white guy got swept away. He is the one who got the life jackets, that must be hard to take a life jacket under water to get it from under the boat. He is the real hero.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: USCG Searching For Missing Football Players

I would look at the character of the players a little differently. People who excel in life, be it in sports or otherwise, have a common trait - they "go for it." They are often not easily disuaded from doing something that they want to do. In this case, there seems to have too much focus on making the trip and not enough focus on potential dangers.

As such, I'm not so sure I would jump to the conclusion that these guys were arrogant and thought somehow that they could defy nature. That implies that they knew conditions were going to get bad, but that they were somehow different from everyone else and they could handle them. What I do think, is that they failed to make an informed decision about the trip. Irrespective of the choice to take a 21 foot, single engine boat 30 - 50 miles out to sea, where you would be out of radio range and/or cellular range with anyone, and would be unlikely to be near any other boat, this was clearly a bad decision.

The weather and sea conditions that occurred later in the day were predicted and should have been taken into account, but they weren't. Why? We don't know that. It has been reported that Cooper knew that it was going to get nasty on Sunday, but nothing has been said about what he knew about conditions on Saturday. My guess is that he failed to do what any experienced mariner should do - inform himself about expected conditions completely and then maintain an awareness and act on changes in weather/seas as the day progressed.

The simple fact of the matter is that this trip never should have been made as it was. Expected conditions should have caused a change in plans entirely, or a decision to remain inshore. Further, someone should have been monitoring NOAA weather radio frequently and small craft warnings should have been heeded. Most of all, when the seas started kicking up, they should have "high-tailed it" back to the harbor immediately.

So, why didn't they - was it because they thought they were big, tough guys? I don't think so. I think, like alot of people, they convinced themselves that "it wasn't all that bad." Peer pressure may have played a role too. How many times have all of seen people fail to make a prudent decision because they didn't want to be viewed as a "wuss?"

Whatever the reason, its a shame that 3 young men lost their lives. I think its also interesting, and informative, to know that the Coast Guard has reported, that boat over-turnings occur over 200 times a year in the U.S. Obviously, not all involve trips so far offshore and not all result in deaths, but they are frequent.

Bad decisions on the water are not exclusive to people who are naturally agressive in their desires. They are made by all sorts of people for all sorts of reasons and unfortunately, sometimes the rest of us don't learn the lessons evident in the mistakes of others. I certainly hope that is not true in this case, and I hope boaters will think twice about running around so far out to sea in the future.

 

[bowman316]

Re: USCG Searching For Missing Football Players

do you think the USCG will recover the boat and investigate it?
or will they just let it sink?

 

[KurtG]

Re: USCG Searching For Missing Football Players

My recollection was that the FL Fish and Game went out to retrieve the boat this morning. In any event, it was not the USCG. There were news articles on the recovery.

 

[aspeck]

Re: USCG Searching For Missing Football Players

When I was fishing off of Jupiter Inlet last September we had some pretty rough and choppy water. The water at the mouth of the inlet was downright NASTY and there were 2 boats that flipped there in a 48 hour period ... one about 2 hours after we went by. No lives were lost, it was close to shore and in a populated area.

 

[jay_merrill]

Re: USCG Searching For Missing Football Players

There are reports out now saying that Schuyler indicated that Cooper and Smith just gave up some time after the boat capsized. He apparently claimed that they took off their PFDs and allowed themselves to drift away from the boat.

The report also includes a statement by Schuyler that Bleakley swam away from the boat in his PFD, claiming that he saw a light in the distance.

As bizarre as such actions might seem, they are entirely plausible, due to the mental confusion that occurs when hypothermia sets in. Considering that Schuyler's internal temperature was only 89 degrees when he was found, and the beginnings of a confused state can begin at 94 degrees, this tragedy seems to have followed a predictable path.

 

[bowman316]

Re: USCG Searching For Missing Football Players

They may have been drinking salt water, that makes you literally go crazy and see things that are not there.
I would like to say that i would stay with the boat, but after 2 days i might go crazy like the other 3.
The survivor sure had a strong will, and strong belif that he would be found.

where did you find that report?

 

[KurtG]

Re: USCG Searching For Missing Football Players

I read a recent report that quoted Schuyler albeit through Bleakley's father as saying he held/grasped Bleakley until he died (of hypothermia?).

I read the other reports of the other two giving up and taking off their life jackets to float away and Bleakley swimming to lights

I don't think the truth will be out until Schulyer gives a public interview.

In any event, my family got caught in a bad storm when I was younger (30' seas in the gulfstream for 2 days) and I'm never venturing out further than the bay. At the time, my sister wanted to give up and jump.