Stussy109 Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 That is good!! And like the fellas above you, they had good questions about the vessel and the equipment... No way do I go 50 miles off-shore in a 21' vessel! And if I did... I would have an EPIRB or a man overboard system... Or one of these: CrewSaver Not exactly chump change to gear your rig in this manner... But, these guys are loaded and could afford to not take as much of a risk. Now... I am not sure... They may have been closer, but a that is a near-shore vessel that some are reporting was 50... YES 50 MILES OUT. Maybe they didn't know the "1/3 Rule" for fuel usage: "1/3 out, 1/3 back, and 1/3 in reserve." They could have been in deep doo-doo if something happened and they only had one motor. Anyway... Sad... Yet, I would like to know all the facts. ?? It was single engine. I'm going to speculate and say they had engine issues and were drifting. I have been out on the ocean in my fathers 17 ft boat 1 /4-1/2 mile off shore in NJ, and let me tell you, the waves are way bigger when you are out there compared to what they look like when you are on shore. If you take a wave from the rear or from the side with no motor, you can easily capsize. I was unlucky enough to be on my buddy's waverunner that was having engine problems and stalling out a few hundred yards from shore, it was pretty scary getting bounced around and going up 6 ft and dropping 6 ft repeatedly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
zow2 Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 My friend had a 20 footer. We put in the water at the Small Boat harbor. We got to the breakwater entrance and saw 4 foot waves on Lake Erie. We went and anchored in a sheltered area inside the breakwater for a few hours and ate lunch. There was no way we were going out in those waves. I hear ya. Lake Erie can be a friggin' monster. People don't realize it. You ever been in the waters over by Point Abino (near Crystal beach)? I was about 13 when my grandfather's speed boat got caught up over there in like 12 foot swells. I'll never forget it. A couple smaller boats were capsized and we tried to help but it was too dangerous and we did not have the proper equipment in his relatively small boat. We threw them some life jackets. We almost got tossed as well. I remember it because I was scared sh*tless. Anyway, we could have been in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean...that's how bad it can get on Lake Erie. Anyway. i hope that all 4 guys come out of this ok. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wacka Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 On the radio, they said that the boat was anchored and the guy that was rescued last saw the others at about 2 AM this morning. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 On the radio, they said that the boat was anchored and the guy that was rescued last saw the others at about 2 AM this morning. I can't understand why they would have anchored?... Like one said, almost better to drift. And like the others were saying... There is absolutely no free-board on that type of vessel to sustain those heavy seas. One time I was heading out the river into Lake Michigan with a small jon boat (flat bottom)... I was following a tow boat, calm as can be behind the tow and within the breakwaters... But, common sense dictated I turn around and head back before I parted company with the commercial vessel. My point is, a lot of mariners don't usually piece together a lot of different signals. And that is a shame. Know your limits, crew and vessel. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erynthered Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 Some Photos of the rescue: http://snap.tbo.com/galleries/index.php?id...amp;sort=newest Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 Some Photos of the rescue: http://snap.tbo.com/galleries/index.php?id...amp;sort=newest Nice photos Eryn... Godspeed to the safety of ALL returning home to their families. Point of interest... Better than nothing, but in photo #1, he is wearing a Type II or at worst a III or even looks like an inflatable hybrid (IV)... Wandering that far off-shore, if I was captain I would a least provide my crew with something more bouyant (Type I)... But, I am splitting hairs... Thank God they are being found. This accident should have never happened! I apologize for being so harsh... They may have drifted that far off-shore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DrDawkinstein Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 It was single engine. I'm going to speculate and say they had engine issues and were drifting. I have been out on the ocean in my fathers 17 ft boat 1 /4-1/2 mile off shore in NJ, and let me tell you, the waves are way bigger when you are out there compared to what they look like when you are on shore. If you take a wave from the rear or from the side with no motor, you can easily capsize. I was unlucky enough to be on my buddy's waverunner that was having engine problems and stalling out a few hundred yards from shore, it was pretty scary getting bounced around and going up 6 ft and dropping 6 ft repeatedly. yep, and with reported 14 foot swells, all it would take is one to flood the engine. after that, its only a very short matter of time until the waves turn you sideways and then it's just one more wave to capsize. it all happens very quickly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steely Dan Posted March 2, 2009 Share Posted March 2, 2009 Don't know all the details of this - but were the weather conditions that day bad enough that they shouldn't have gone? I assume it is the captain's responsibility to check the weather and make sure everything is safe - is it common for these kind of charters for the owners/captains to take chances? (we go to the coast a lot, and I have gone on a few onshore charters - but I am always wary of the ones that go way out just because of something like this...) This wasn't a charter. One of them owned the boat. Had it been a charter the captain would have had a lot more common sense. I'd think. Here's an article from NFL.com that includes a video about the whole thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
erynthered Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Nice photos Eryn... Godspeed to the safety of ALL returning home to their families. Point of interest... Better than nothing, but in photo #1, he is wearing a Type II or at worst a III or even looks like an inflatable hybrid (IV)... Wandering that far off-shore, if I was captain I would a least provide my crew with something more bouyant (Type I)... But, I am splitting hairs... Thank God they are being found. This accident should have never happened! I apologize for being so harsh... They may have drifted that far off-shore. You've brought some some good stuff to the conversation, EII, thanks. There's a few people at work that know a few of these guys, sad stuff. If I hear anything pertinent, I'll post it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 You've brought some some good stuff to the conversation, EII, thanks. There's a few people at work that know a few of these guys, sad stuff. If I hear anything pertinent, I'll post it. Sorry to hear that... It doesn't look good. I just found out that the water was 62 degrees... Hypo will surely set in. It is still late Feb early Mar, the water is not that warm yet. I still can't resolve that they would set out during this time of the year and not be properly protected, the water has to be well into the 70's and into the 80's to have days... 62 is still too cold. Then there was this: A cousin of Cooper told the St. Petersburg Times that all four men initially managed to cling to the capsized boat, but only Schuyler was able to hold on. That had to be because the skag of the motor was the only thing to cling too. Surely there had to be lines in the capsized vessel?? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wilson from Gamehendge Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Everytime I look at pictures of these guys, I get goosebumps. I am having a difficult time handling this, due to the fact that Cooper and Smith are around my age. I have a very strong feeling that my worst nightmare came true...they were probably taken under by Sharks. I just pray that they were not alive when it was happening. I do not mean to be graphic...but it's the honest to god truth. (and it scares the sh-- out of me.) God Bless these guys and their families. I will continue to pray. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Everytime I look at pictures of these guys, I get goosebumps. I am having a difficult time handling this, due to the fact that Cooper and Smith are around my age. I have a very strong feeling that my worst nightmare came true...they were probably taken under by Sharks. I just pray that they were not alive when it was happening. I do not mean to be graphic...but it's the honest to god truth. (and it scares the sh-- out of me.) God Bless these guys and their families. I will continue to pray. I don't think it was sharks. Just plain nowhere to go and get out of the water with a small (note I said small) vessel in 60 degree water... You only have about 12 to 16 hours in that temp... IMO, hypo set in and they slipped off. All 4 on that capsized vessel had to have weighed into the water. Notice the only surviver had on foul weather gear (which no doubt helped stemming off hypo quicker) and was firmly out of the water clinging to the lower unit of the motor. It might be 80 when you are leaving port... But 60 degree water will kill... Now factor in all the other issues: Vessel type Equipment vs. Many miles off-shore Sad no doubt... There will be a lot of "suvivor guilt" for Nick... Even if they would have lashed themselves to the hull (and together), would they all have beat the hypothermia?? My biggest thing is that this was totally preventable... That this should not happen again... They should scream this story at the tops of their lungs at all water safety classes around the country. So many mistakes from the get go, it is amazing even one person survived. Notice what Nick said: "I kept on telling myself that my mother won't go to my funeral" That kept him alive. Human nature is funny, in the face of overwhelming odds something like 80-90% of people will just lay down and die. Now, I am not saying this what happened, but even given those odds there is usually almost always a very simple approach or set of prior planning skills to beat them (the odds). And if most people knew them, they would survive many overwhelming ordeals . Like I said, I have sounded harsh but please do not think my heart does not go out to the missing, their family and their friends. It makes me so sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steely Dan Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Corey Smith-DL- Lions Mar. 3 - 4:33 pm et The Coast Guard announced that it will end its search for NFL players Corey Smith and Marquis Cooper and former college player Will Bleakley at 6:30 ET Tuesday. A life vest and cooler were found near where Nick Schuyler was rescued, but he is currently the lone survivor. The Coast Guard officially calls the hunt "suspended," but it won't resume barring an unexpected break. "Any search and rescue case where we have to stop is disappointing," Capt. Timothy Close said. "I think the families understood we put in a tremendous effort." Asked why the search was halted, Close said "It has to do with our confidence level that we would found anybody on the surface level at this point." Source: San Francisco Chronicle Related: Marquis Cooper Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
KD in CA Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Coast Guard suspending the search. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090303/ap_on_...ing_boaters_nfl Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steely Dan Posted March 3, 2009 Share Posted March 3, 2009 Coast Guard suspending the search. http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090303/ap_on_...ing_boaters_nfl Here's another article. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
cåblelady Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 Corey Smith-DL- Lions Mar. 3 - 4:33 pm et The Coast Guard announced that it will end its search for NFL players Corey Smith and Marquis Cooper and former college player Will Bleakley at 6:30 ET Tuesday. A life vest and cooler were found near where Nick Schuyler was rescued, but he is currently the lone survivor. The Coast Guard officially calls the hunt "suspended," but it won't resume barring an unexpected break. "Any search and rescue case where we have to stop is disappointing," Capt. Timothy Close said. "I think the families understood we put in a tremendous effort." Asked why the search was halted, Close said "It has to do with our confidence level that we would found anybody on the surface level at this point." Source: San Francisco Chronicle Related: Marquis Cooper So sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Steely Dan Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 So sad. Yep it's been called off. If they haven't survived, which seems likely, I hope at least their bodies are found to give their family closure. I think this got a lot of media attention just because it was two NFL players and hopefully at least a few people have learned a lesson from this. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fingon Posted March 4, 2009 Author Share Posted March 4, 2009 Nick Schuyler, the lone survivor from a Florida fishing-trip disaster involving two NFL players before the search was called off, revealed that the four lost men at one point had a helicopter hovering over them. The helicopter's light shined down on the four, but must not have seen them. Schuyler said the NFL players -- Corey Smith and Marquis Cooper -- were first to drift away in the rough waves. He called former USF player Will Bleakley "a hero" for swimming under the capsized boat they were hanging onto to retrieve life vests. Bleakley eventually was separated too. The search for Cooper, Smith, and Bleakley was called off at sunset Tuesday. sh-- per rotoworld Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
H2o Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 So sad. This makes it even worse IMO. They all had a chance to be rescued. http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/03/04/...FL-Optional.php As the four fishing buddies huddled together in the dark, clinging to their capsized boat miles off the Florida coast, a helicopter's light shone down upon them. The light shined on them and they still weren't seen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ExiledInIllinois Posted March 4, 2009 Share Posted March 4, 2009 This makes it even worse IMO. They all had a chance to be rescued.http://www.iht.com/articles/ap/2009/03/04/...FL-Optional.php The light shined on them and they still weren't seen. That is so tragic. I was just going to comment on this. I work around water all the time with the Corps of Engineers... All my PFD's/floatcoats have a small emergency beacon on them and they activate when hitting the water... Actually it is mandatory now with the Corps at least the past couple of years... Some can be manually turned on... I keep an extra one in a pocket (manually operated) They cost under 20 bucks and can be attached to your PFD. If they had these... They would have been seen. They were so illed prepared that it makes me sick to my stomach with grief. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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