Erie Dawg Posted March 2, 2009 Report Share Posted March 2, 2009 More Here. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MIS...EMPLATE=DEFAULT Corey Smith and Marquis Cooper and two other men missing more than a day in choppy seas. Smith, a defensive end for the Detroit Lions, and Cooper, an Oakland Raiders linebacker, were on a 21-foot vessel that left Clearwater Pass for a fishing trip Saturday morning and did not return as expected, the Coast Guard said Sunday. Crews used a helicopter and an 87-foot ship to search a 750-square mile area west of Clearwater Pass, but poor weather made the search difficult. Officials did not receive a distress signal from the missing craft. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titleist585 Posted March 2, 2009 Report Share Posted March 2, 2009 More Here. http://hosted.ap.org/dynamic/stories/M/MIS...EMPLATE=DEFAULT Corey Smith and Marquis Cooper and two other men missing more than a day in choppy seas. Smith, a defensive end for the Detroit Lions, and Cooper, an Oakland Raiders linebacker, were on a 21-foot vessel that left Clearwater Pass for a fishing trip Saturday morning and did not return as expected, the Coast Guard said Sunday. Crews used a helicopter and an 87-foot ship to search a 750-square mile area west of Clearwater Pass, but poor weather made the search difficult. Officials did not receive a distress signal from the missing craft. One of the other guys was Nick Schuyler, a kid I went to Chardon High School with...let's all pray for good news... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Dacaddyman Posted March 2, 2009 Report Share Posted March 2, 2009 My prayers go out to the familes of these men. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballpeen Posted March 2, 2009 Report Share Posted March 2, 2009 Not to make light of the situation by any means, but I am a little surprised 3-4 Browns weren't on that boat. Seems like that stuff happens to us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calfoxwc Posted March 2, 2009 Report Share Posted March 2, 2009 I hope and pray they are found and are okay. They either didn't check the weather, or they figured they would come in before the storm hit. and a maybe short in the wiring causesa small fire and the engine not to start and the radio not to work. 21' boat on the ocean? Not good. Hey, I actually had that happen to me on my pontoon boat many years ago. But I had an extinguisher, so my crew decided I was a brilliant hero. Trouble is, I had pushed the boat over a stump to hold the boat while we went swimming... and the stump pulled two low wires into the water and it shorted to ground, across the battery. Yeah, I never told em. I'm a hero. Got a rep to protect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gips Posted March 2, 2009 Report Share Posted March 2, 2009 Not to make light of the situation by any means, but I am a little surprised 3-4 Browns weren't on that boat. Seems like that stuff happens to us. My thoughts exactly peen i was thinking we are lucky joe thomas wasnt there because he absolutely loves to fish.. Prayers and thoughts are with these fellows.. But hopefully they are alright but its not looking good... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zombo Posted March 2, 2009 Report Share Posted March 2, 2009 21' boat on the ocean? Not good. That was my first thought. I have an 18.5' and I don't go in the Gulf if it's choppy at all. I was sitting at a beachfront condo yesterday looking at the Gulf and how big the waves were thinking how horrible it would be to be out there. It was bad enough Saturday afternoon, no way they would have survived the night into Sunday. Zombo Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ballpeen Posted March 2, 2009 Report Share Posted March 2, 2009 They probably swamped it or they got hijacked and told to swim home from 11 miles out. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rooster Dick Posted March 2, 2009 Report Share Posted March 2, 2009 Rotoworld "The Coast Guard has reportedly found an overturned boat with a "person clinging to it" off the Gulf of Mexico." Doesn't look good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
next2nothing Posted March 2, 2009 Report Share Posted March 2, 2009 ESPN reported it was Nick Schuyler who was clinging to the top of the overturned boat. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Solon16 Posted March 2, 2009 Report Share Posted March 2, 2009 One of the other guys was Nick Schuyler, a kid I went to Chardon High School with...let's all pray for good news... looks like your boy made it...does not look good for the other three....at all! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titleist585 Posted March 2, 2009 Report Share Posted March 2, 2009 looks like your boy made it...does not look good for the other three....at all! http://news-herald.com/articles/2009/03/02...7b624166581.txt Not really my boy...a friend of a friend but still great news! I got a call about 2 hours ago from the friend, he nearly pooped himself... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
titleist585 Posted March 2, 2009 Report Share Posted March 2, 2009 looks like your boy made it...does not look good for the other three....at all! Still, it's very sad for the other three..my friend says it's not looking good (obviously) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mario Posted March 3, 2009 Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 They were all wearing life jackets from what I heard, so keep your fingers crossed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Masters Posted March 3, 2009 Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 Technically all they really know is that they had life jackets for everyone. Hopefully they were all actually wearing them and they are found. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mario Posted March 3, 2009 Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 They reported on ESPN that the passenger they pulled out was wearing a life jacket, and had said they were all wearing them. Until I hear otherwise I'm going by that information. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Masters Posted March 3, 2009 Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 They reported on ESPN that the passenger they pulled out was wearing a life jacket, and had said they were all wearing them. Until I hear otherwise I'm going by that information. Keep in mind that is what the guy said when they pulled him out of the water. He wasn't exactly in the "right mind" at the time he was found and said that. Dude was dehydrated as all get out when they found him. They have to question him again after he is awake again. I'll wait and see what he says then, when he is a little more of sound mind. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Erie Dawg Posted March 3, 2009 Author Report Share Posted March 3, 2009 A little side note that I heard was that the waves were estimated at 12-14 foot on Sat. If you have ever boated you know that is some big rollers for a 21' boat. It don't sound good. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Zombo Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 Update: Report: Improper anchoring caused boat accident By CHRISTINE ARMARIO, Associated Press Writer 1 hour, 12 minutes ago Printable View Return to Original Buzz up!4314 votes PrintTAMPA, Fla. (AP)—An agency investigating a deadly boating accident involving two NFL players and their friends in the Gulf of Mexico has concluded it was caused when the vessel was improperly anchored and the boat capsized after one of them tried to throttle forward to pry loose the anchor. The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s investigation also cited carelessness and operator inexperience as contributing factors. The combination of errors came at the time a storm front was moving in, making conditions on the water very rough. Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper, free-agent NFL defensive lineman Corey Smith, and former University of South Florida players William Bleakley and Nick Schuyler departed from Clearwater Pass, Fla., early Feb. 28 to go offshore fishing for amberjack. Schuyler, found clinging to the boat two days later, was the lone survivor. The other three men have not been found. In an in-depth interview with the agency, Schuyler gave this account of the accident: Early that morning, the men went more than 50 miles offshore in Cooper’s 21-foot vessel. It was loaded with two large coolers filled with ice, drinks, food and beer. All of the friends were dressed in warm clothes, sweat suits and jackets. Around 5:30 p.m., they went to pull up the anchor and head back to port, but the anchor was stuck. Bleakley suggested they tie it to the transom and use the boat’s motor to pull it loose. When Cooper tried to thrust the boat forward, the vessel became submerged and capsized, tossing the men overboard. All four tried uprighting the boat by standing on one side of the overturned vessel. When that didn’t work, Bleakley swam underneath and was able to retrieve three life vests, a large cooler and a portable, cushion-type flotation device. Bleakley, who Schuyler has credited with saving his life, used the makeshift flotation device, which has been described previously as a cushion. The other three wore the vests. The men appear to have tried everything in their power to rescue themselves: Schuyler told the agency they tried retrieving and using flares, but they were wet, agency Investigator Jim Manson said. They got their cell phones, which were in plastic baggies, but there was no signal. They knew how many hours were passing because Schuyler had a watch with a light on and was able to keep track of the time. He said that around 5:30 a.m. the next day, Cooper became unresponsive. Schuyler and Bleakley tried to revive him without success. Cooper’s flotation device was removed and Bleakley put it on. The Oakland Raiders linebacker then became separated from the boat. About an hour later, Smith started to show “possible extreme symptoms of hypothermia.” He removed his flotation device and also became separated from the boat. The two college teammates were the only ones left. They hung on together for about 24 hours, until Bleakley grew weak and removed his life vest as well. Schuyler said that his friend appeared to die as he was holding onto him. He let his friend go and Bleakley drifted away. Manson said moving the anchor line to the stern, or back of the boat, contributed to the vessel’s instability and flooding when they tried to free it. He described it as a mistake that probably happens every day, but one that a more experienced boater would be aware of and could handle. Cooper, the boat’s owner, had more than 100 hours of boating experience but no formal education, and had been drinking, according to the report. “Overall, it’s just a mistake in anchoring,” Manson said. The Coast Guard released its records on the accident last week. According to the agency, Schuyler told them the boat capsized after their anchor got caught in a reef. The accuracy of that account was somewhat unclear because Schuyler was suffering from hypothermia and spoke to them shortly after he was pulled from the boat. His doctor said he probably could have only lived another five to 10 hours. The Coast Guard called off its search after three days of scouring 24,000 miles of ocean. http://sports.yahoo.com/nfl/news;_ylt=Au3P...gns&print=1 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewEraDawg Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 Being an ex sailor I can tell you that hits home . Very tough to survive sometimes and recollect . A prayer for him . Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NewEraDawg Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 NOAA..............Great Lakes R/V Shenehon Oil Feild vessels .......Gulf Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest AdaM Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 NOAA..............Great Lakes R/V Shenehon Oil Feild vessels .......Gulf I was conceived in the Navy, does that count? Corpus Christie if memory serves me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Timugen Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 Cooper, the boat’s owner, had more than 100 hours of boating experience but no formal education, and had been drinking, according to the report. They say that as if 100 hours is a substantial amount of experience, which it most definitely is not. Someone with that little experience and no training had absolutely no business going 50 miles out in the Gulf in a puny 21' craft. Just because you can afford the boat doesn't mean that you know what the hell you're doing. Truly sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DawgTracker Posted March 27, 2009 Report Share Posted March 27, 2009 I can't imagine taking a 21' boat 50 miles out in 14 foot waves to catch fish, something sounds beyond fishy to me. And I seriously doubt someone could cling to the boat all that time in 14 foot waves. 100 hours of boating time could be 10 - 20 nice fair weather trips. Plus, in the tampa bay area you have lots of other fishing available without venturing off shore. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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