The ship's captain, who survived Hurricane Milton and was rescued from the water, remained in a cooler until he was rescued by the Coast Guard, Captain Dave's Stephen Hawley, now the owner of the sunken ship, said in an October interview. He told FOX News Digital.
“That's the only reason he wasn't eaten by sharks or frozen,” Hawley said.
The Coast Guard rescued a ship's captain on Thursday, October 10, after Hurricane Milton made landfall in Florida.
Florida residents begin to feel the effects of Hurricane Milton
A Coast Guard helicopter crew rescued a man clinging to a cooler Thursday about 30 miles off the coast of Longboat Key, Florida. (U.S. Coast Guard Southeast)
Video footage shows the captain apparently floating above the cooler as someone dangling from the helicopter approaches to rescue him.
But it was actually the second time in recent days that the captain had been rescued by the coast guard.
Hawley said the captain and deckhand were rescued earlier in the week after the boat ran aground.
Coast Guard video shows helicopter crew rescuers floating in cool area 30 miles off the coast of Florida after storm
However, after the initial rescue, the captain returned to the boat and ultimately survived, albeit in a dangerous situation.
The captain is “alive” and “in good spirits,” Hawley said.
But “that boat will never be seen again,” he said.
Two boat crew missing after sailing to avoid Hurricane Milton: Coast Guard
This GOES-16 GeoColor satellite image was taken at 12:15 PM EDT and provided by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Hurricane Milton is shown in the Gulf of Mexico off Mexico's Yucatan Peninsula on Tuesday, October 8, 2024. (NOAA via AP)
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“This man survived a scenario that would be a nightmare for even the most experienced sailor,” said Lt. Col., director of the St. Petersburg Coast Guard Command Center. Dana Grady said, according to a Coast Guard press release.
“To understand the severity of the hurricane situation, it is estimated that he experienced winds of approximately 75 to 90 miles per hour and seas of 60 to 25 feet for an extended period of time, including overnight. He was wearing a life jacket and “We believe it survived thanks to emergency locators, beacons and coolers,” Grady said.
