Countertrey wrote:This is sad... but, there is really no other option.
There are still 10-13 foot seas. The water is cool enough that hypothermia would have resulted in death at this point. Hypothermia is almost certainly the reason they were unable to remain with the boat. If they were at the point that they were unable to stay with the boat, they were already pretty far gone at that time.
It is not reasonable to ask the Coast Guard to continue to risk their lives once it has become hopeless. It's that simple. There's a point at which the risk of having to conduct a second search and rescue operation outweighs the wish to find bodies.
No one takes more risks to save the living than the Coast Guard. Do we really want them taking the same risks to find the dead?
First of all, this is really sad and I think Redskins fans understand what it's like to lose a beloved player, teammate and family member.
But you are correct, Trey. I live just south of the Tampa / St. Petersburg / Clearwater area of Southwest Florida and am an avid boater myself. The Coast Guard said they searched an area of over 24,000 miles with two helicopters and 4 cutters. They searched for over 60 hours, and with a water temperature of around 60 degrees, hypothermia will set in and take your life pretty quickly.
Although the Coast Guard has ended their search, there are dozens and dozens of good samaritans who are using their own private vessels to continue the search. The water here in the Gulf is pretty clear and teal in color, so finding someone floating in it is easier than finding someone in the Atlantic or the Pacific. But as horrible as this sounds, a body floating in the water for an extended amount of time will attract large fish and sharks, which are prevalent in the Gulf of Mexico. So even if they still have life preservers on, the chances of finding them are extremely thin.
On the Saturday that these guys went out on their boat, there were "small craft advisories" posted everywhere and all over the news, due to a cold front moving into the area, in fact, the tail-end of the very same front that dumped the snow on the Northeast. Living near the coast, we get these advisories and boating forecasts every day on the local news.
These guys went out 30+ miles offshore on a 21' Everglades boat. That is a very small boat and not meant for 'open ocean' use. There were reports of 14' - 16' swells and even boats twice that size can't handle waves of that size. I get just a few miles offshore and when I can't see land very well, even I start to get a little nervous, and I'm an experienced boater. They probably tipped the scales against them by going out that far on such a small boat with a strong cold front bearing down on them.
But this is very sad and I pray for their families.
