Posted on 03/02/2009 9:39:08 AM PST by My Favorite Headache
Edited on 03/02/2009 9:48:03 AM PST by Admin Moderator. [history]
CLEARWATER -- The Coast Guard announced shortly after noon Monday that it has found an overturned boat with one person clinging to it.
There was no immediate word if the boat is the same vessel belonging to four boaters missing since Saturday, including two NFL players and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers teammates.
Prayers up.
CLEARWATER — The Coast Guard announced shortly after noon Monday that it has found an overturned boat with one person clinging to it.
There was no immediate word if the boat is the same vessel belonging to four boaters missing since Saturday, including two NFL players and former Tampa Bay Buccaneers teammates.
Detroit Lions defensive end Corey Smith and Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper — who are both former players for the Tampa Bay Buccaneers — were on a 21-foot vessel that left Clearwater Pass for a fishing trip Saturday morning.
The two other missing men on the boat, Will Bleakley and Nick Schuyler, are both former University of South Florida players.
The Coast Guard was alerted after the group did not return as expected.
Crews used a helicopter and an 87-foot ship Sunday to search a 750-square mile area west of Clearwater Pass, but poor weather made the search difficult.
Cooper, 26, owns the boat, and was said to be an experienced boater. He and Smith, 29, have been on fishing trips before.
Cooper was with the Bucs in 2004 and 2005 and Smith played for the team from 2002 to 2004.
In a statement from the Detroit Lions, team officials said their thoughts and prayers are with the “passengers, families and all those involved in the search efforts.”
Cooper’s wife, Rebekah Cooper, said fishing is his first love, and she got concerned when he did not return as scheduled Saturday.
“Before he left [Saturday], I asked him if he was going to be really late. He said no, because he knew that there was some weather coming through last night, so I didn’t expect, and I don’t think he expected anything to go wrong,” Rebekah Cooper said.
Authorities said the weather was relatively good Saturday, but picked up early Sunday morning, which could have been dangerous for the 21-foot single-engine boat.
If you have information on the boaters, call the Coast Guard’s St. Petersburg office at (727) 824-7506.
damn...just one...I hope the others have vests or something.
Just heard on local(Detroit)station...
Reports are saying it was a white man, Nick Skyler...
Do you have a link?
Reports say the other 3 were wearing life vests.
That’s not much guard against hypothermia.
They are reporting everyone was wearing a vest.
Update: Boat found with one person in Gulf of Mexico; may be missing football players
really, really not good.
prayers, for what its worth.
I would guess the water temp would be in the 60’s? Maybe high 50’s? I doubt the water temp would kill them. I hope they had their life jackets ON.
vest would not save them from hypothermia
Even in water that warm, they can still get hypothermia.
probably not. were it the Vikings, they'd have had strippers on board ,too.
Your body only has to drop to below 90 degrees for death to occur from hypothermia. Over time your body temperature will equalize with that of the water. They would only last a few hours in even 70 degree water.
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