What Went Wrong?

[RicM]

I have been following the situation with the 4 men in the Gulf of Mexico. I refuse to use the headline "2 NFL players", like the other two guys don't matter. In any case, 21 foot boat, anchored in 12 foot seas someone must of said "let's head home" before that point. Where they out of gas? Was the radio out? Did the other three try to swim for it?

[RicM]

More information from another forum that I watch. A member of the other forum was out that day off Clear Water and had this to say:

ric,
the gulf in the am was almost flat calm ( aprox. 10:00 am) by 1:00 pm the wind started picking up,we then made our way inside the intercostal,by 3:00 pm it had to be all of 25 to 30 mph.the forcast before going out indicated 2 to 3 ft swells.we had to cross an area where we could see the open gulf and could see 4 to 5 footers out there.the sun was out with a clear sky.its my understanding that the four individuels were 25 miles out,and were atempting to pull up the anchor when the boat flipped.the other three have not been found as of the 1:00 pm news.the one individuel rescued by the coast guard is in the tampa hosp. in fair condition.

[Legacy]

Such a tragedy. Hoped the last three guys would have been found - - relatively warm water, life jackets, great physical shape. CG ended search today.

[jcollins]

More information from another forum that I watch. A member of the other forum was out that day off Clear Water and had this to say:

ric,
the gulf in the am was almost flat calm ( aprox. 10:00 am) by 1:00 pm the wind started picking up,we then made our way inside the intercostal,by 3:00 pm it had to be all of 25 to 30 mph.the forcast before going out indicated 2 to 3 ft swells.we had to cross an area where we could see the open gulf and could see 4 to 5 footers out there.the sun was out with a clear sky.its my understanding that the four individuels were 25 miles out,and were atempting to pull up the anchor when the boat flipped.the other three have not been found as of the 1:00 pm news.the one individuel rescued by the coast guard is in the tampa hosp. in fair condition.

What's the water like out there? Is it like ocean swells or bay chop? Either way, a 21 foot boat should have gone in when it started getting nasty. Any reports from the survivor regarding engine problems?

[RicM]

Gulf of Mexico is a strange body of water, long fetch, shallow water. Lot's of energy contained in an area enclosed on 3 sides. Looks and seems easy, but can go bad fast. I want to hear more from the survivour.

[Legacy]

Very sad ending if this story is accurate.

As the Coast Guard ended its search for three missing football players whose boat tipped over in high Florida seas, the lone survivor said two of those lost gave up after hours in the frigid water and the third tried to swim to safety.

South Florida player Nick Schuyler told investigators that all four of the friends on a fishing excursion were initially wearing life vests and clinging to the 21-foot boat belonging to Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper.

But two to four hours after the boat capsized, one of the NFL players removed his life jacket and let himself be swept out to sea, the St. Petersburg Times reported. A few hours later, the other one followed suit.

"We were told that Nick said the two NFL players took their life jackets off and drifted out to sea," said Bob Bleakley, whose son Will Bleakley, 25, is also still missing.

Click here for photos.

After Cooper, 26, and Corey Smith, 29, were carried away, Bleakley and Schuyler hung on until morning — but then Bleakley decided to try to swim to get help when he thought he saw a distant light, the paper said.

He, too, took his life vest off, 24-year-old Schuyler told the families.

"I think he was delusional to think he could swim someplace," the Times quoted Bleakley as saying.

[jcollins]

We were told that Nick said the two NFL players took their life jackets off and drifted out to sea," said Bob Bleakley, whose son Will Bleakley, 25, is also still missing.

I have never been in a situation like that. I can't even begin to imagine what goes through someones mind. But, that goes against everything we have learned over the years. Stay with the boat and don't remove your life jacket.

[RicM]

Hypothermia does strange things to the brain. The water was not as warm as I would have expected. The guy who made it was up, out of the water, sitting on the hull, clutching the leg of the outboard. If the other guys stayed in the water they cold have easily become delirious in 3-4 hours in that water.

[Jeff Lavallee]

A good rule of thumb is that a 50 year old man will last 50 minutes in 50 degree water if not wearing a survival suit

[jcollins]

I saw a piece on the news last night. The families seem to be questioning how this could happen to guys that were so physically fit. I remember falling off the swim platform last fall. I wasn't in the water for more than two minutes. I can't imagine trying to hold on for hours.

[Carl]

Water Temperature
Exhaustion or Unconsciousness in
Expected Survival Time

70–80° F (21–27° C)
3–12 hours
3 hours – indefinitely

60–70° F (16–21° C)
2–7 hours
2–40 hours

50–60° F (10–16° C)
1–2 hours
1–6 hours

40–50° F (4–10° C)
30–60 minutes
1–3 hours

32.5–40° F (0–4° C)
15–30 minutes
30–90 minutes

<32° F (<0° C)
Under 15 minutes
Under 15–45 minutes