Coast Guard Photo Release
(Click pics for very large versions)
Word is coming in that they also found Cooper but won’t confirm.
One of the missing NFL players has been found ALIVE - just saw this on our local Tampa Bay area news.
970 WFLA Todd Schnitt Show.... He’s giving local color on the mishap. Boat expert will be on soon.
UPDATE: We have just learned from a family member that Marquis Cooper may be alive. We are awaiting more detail.
Nick Schulyer is at TGH in serious condition.
http://www.tampabays10.com/news/local/story.aspx?storyid=101513&catid=8
Completely and totally irresponsible to go out at all in a boat that small, given the forecast. The forcast was for 4-6 foot waves and building to 6-10’ throughout the day. Even the big boys in their 60 footers don’t do that. The cold front that pushed through on Saturday was brutal and they paid the price. 21 footer? That’s a bass boat, not an offshore machine.
In a much larger vessel, I stay at the slip when the wind is expected at around 20 to 25 knots... sheez, what were they thinking? Checking the weather would be the first line of defense...even for a dummie like me.
I went outside last night with pants and a jacket on and couldn't believe how cold it was. How this guy survived overnight in that wind, given the temperature of the air and water, is truly astounding. His parents must be overwhelmed.
Looked like they were all big, healthy guys and speaking as a fisherman, we sometimes do stupid things.
2:25 p.m. Nick Schuyler told his mom today that he survived by telling himself she was not going to go to his funeral, “that’s what kept him hanging on.’’ He’s dehydrated, has a few cuts and bruises and is heavily medicated. But his dad said Nick managed to say, “Hi, pop.’’ Marsha Schuyler said she passed out when she learned her son had survived.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/publicsafety/article980435.ece
As amazing as Schuyler’s story is, it’s not a surprise to former Bulls defensive tackle Richard Clebert, who was his teammate in the spring and preseason of 2006. Clebert said he had stayed in touch with Schuyler, who worked as a trainer at L.A. Fitness in Tampa.
“Not even a month ago, I went out there to work out with thim,” said Clebert, who still owns some of USF’s bench-press records. “I’m the strongest guy in the weight room, and I hurt my back working out with him. He completely destroyed me. When my wife told me he was one of the four guys lost out there, I told her ‘I guarantee if there’s anyone that makes it out there, it’s going to be Schuyler.’ He’s that tough.”
http://blogs.tampabay.com/usf/2009/03/clebert-on-schu.html
Water Temperature (A) Expected Time Before Exhaustion or Unconsciousness (B) Expected Time of Survival
32.5° (A) < 15 minutes (B)45 minutes
32.5° – 40° (A) 15 – 30 minutes (B)30 – 90 minutes
40° – 50° (A) 30 – 60 minutes (B)1 – 3 hours
50° – 60° (A) 1 – 2 hours (B)1 – 6 hours
60° – 70° (A) 2 – 7 hours (B)2 – 40 hours
70° – 80° (A) 3 – 12 hours 3 hours – (B)indefinite
> 80° (A) indefinite (B)indefinite
Wow. I don’t even go out in my bass boat, fishing 30 feet from shore without checking the weather report.
Still it did provide more than adequate flotation for at least one passenger and didn't break up; that's a good and valuable thing.
I hope the NFL doesn’t make players wear the numbers of any of these reckless fools, or schedule any dramatic memorials. Getting shot like Sean Taylor is one thing. That was tragic. Being stupid with a boat is quite another.