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Wavewacker · 11-10-2011, 05:50

I can't imagine taking a small out board cuddy (appeared to be less than 30') 4 miles out in 5 to 8 footers with a storm and then not having life jackets on. Their boat was pooped by a wave and down it went, treading water and hanging on for 20 hours before the rescue, a 4 yr old was in a ice chest as her life boat and survived the ordeal, an older lady drowned.
Check weather and be prudent....

offline · 11-10-2011, 06:36

Yeah.. if we are offshore lifejackets are a must when on deck, if it is rough or we venture out of the cockpit we are on jacklines.

And really I would likely not be out in those conditions if it could be helped..

Darwin rules.

Alecadi · 11-10-2011, 06:45

That was 8 people on a 22'..... there was gusting winds up to 35 knts and waves at 10' ,
Rains and thunderstorm...
Family outing, the toddler, the grand mother etc...............
Crazy!

**Tellie** · 11-10-2011, 09:04

Yeah I'd take this boat out in those conditions. Idiot.

Slideshow: 7 Treading Water For 20 Hours Rescued Off Fla. Keys - Photos - WPLG Miami

**James S** · 11-10-2011, 09:05

Its a tragedy.

zeta · 11-10-2011, 09:09

Sad, too bad smarts and boating make strange bedfellows.

Richard Jordan · 11-10-2011, 09:13

Bad week for FL boaters. There was another fellow who fell of the back of a yacht and was killed:

WSVN-TV - Boating death marks another Elliot Key tragedy

boatsmith · 11-10-2011, 09:29

The really amazing thng is that more people don't die at this event. There is almost as much alcohol as seawater.

S/V Alchemy · 11-10-2011, 11:43

Capt. Darwin on deck...Capt. Darwin...

hellosailor · 11-10-2011, 12:24

WX this time of year in Florida can be--and in past days actually has been--that you can have 3" of rain in an hour, and five or ten miles away it is a sunny day.

Apparently the family has been boating for a long time but for whatever reason, ignored modern cautions and went fishing.

Rakuflames · 11-10-2011, 12:29

Quote:

Originally Posted by hellosailor

WX this time of year in Florida can be--and in past days actually has been--that you can have 3" of rain in an hour, and five or ten miles away it is a sunny day.

Apparently the family has been boating for a long time but for whatever reason, ignored modern cautions and went fishing.

Actually they knew that storm was going to be brewing for TWO WEEKS and was described by local weathermen as "almost subtropical." In other words, if it hadn't formed so close to land, it might well have turned into a named storm. You would have had to be living in a cave not to know it was out there.

This reminds me of the four football players whose boat flipped out on the Gulf of Mexico. Everyone knew for days that that storm was coming. They should have known not to anchor off the stern. They made a bunch of mistakes. They had made the same mistakes many times before and been lucky. This time, three out of four extremely strong men drowned.

I think it's a small miracle that only the grandmother died in this accident. I hope they get the book thrown at them for not having that child in a life jacket.