Date: 3/3/2009
By CHRISTINE ARMARIO
Associated Press Writer
CLEARWATER, Fla. (AP) — The Coast Guard called off the search Tuesday for two NFL players and a third man lost at sea off the Florida coast after their boat capsized during a fishing trip.
Officials said the search would end at sundown, with Oakland Raiders linebacker Marquis Cooper, free-agent defensive lineman Corey Smith, who played with the Detroit Lions last season, and former South Florida player William Bleakley still missing in the rough, chilly seas.
“We’re extremely confident that if there are any survivors on the surface of the water that we would have found them,” said Coast Guard Capt. Timothy Close, who added that searchers scoured the equivalent of 24,000 square miles over more than 60 hours.
Hopes were raised Monday when crews found a fourth man who was aboard, 24-year-old former South Florida player Nick Schuyler, who managed to stay with the boat after it overturned Saturday evening.
William Bleakley’s father said he felt comfortable with the Coast Guard’s decision and that his expectations lowered after only one survivor was found.
“I think they did everything that they could,” Robert Bleakley said of the Coast Guard. “I think they were not to be found.”
Close said searchers found a cooler and a life jacket 16 miles southeast of the boat, but no other signs of the men.
Prospects for survival became more grim throughout the day, with Cooper’s father saying the Coast Guard told him privately officials were losing hope because so much time had passed and hypothermia risks were high. Coast Guard officials said publicly that they were still hopeful.
“I think the families understood that we put in a tremendous effort,” Close said. “Any search and rescue case we have to stop is disappointing.”
Family and friends embraced and sobbed outside the Coast Guard station shortly before the announcement. They left without talking with reporters.
“I’m sure that I’ll speak of Will like he’s still with us for a long time,” Robert Bleakley said later of his son. “He’ll be an inspiration for me for a long time. He always has been. I told everybody, I call him my hero.”
Lions running back Kevin Smith called Corey Smith “a good, quiet guy, who always put in an honest day’s work.”
Kevin Smith, a Florida native, said he has been fishing off the coast as far as the men were in boats smaller, the same size and larger than the 21-foot watercraft that capsized.
“The No. 1 thing when you’re out there is, you have to respect the water,” he said. “I know those guys had safety vests. I’m trying not to even think about it. That’s a tough way to go.”
The four friends left Clearwater Pass early Saturday in calm weather, but heavy winds picked up through the day and the seas got heavy, with waves of 7 feet and higher, peaking at 15 feet on Sunday. A relative alerted the Coast Guard early Sunday after the men did not return as expected. The Coast Guard said it did not receive a distress signal.
Close said some family members asked about continuing the search on their own, which he discouraged but said the Coast Guard wouldn’t prevent.
“I can’t emphasize this enough,” Close said. “We do not want any additional search and rescue cases resulting from people who are outside their experience level.”
The Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission may be heading out Wednesday to recover the boat, which was still on the water.
Schuyler told the Coast Guard the boat was anchored when it capsized. The four friends were able to put on life vests and huddle together, but eventually became separated, he said.
Schuyler was dehydrated and showing symptoms of hypothermia, but his condition was upgraded to fair on Tuesday. Hospital officials said he didn’t want to talk to the media.
The Coast Guard hadn’t had more detailed conversations with Schuyler “due to his physical and medical condition,” Close said.
Cooper, who is 26 and owns the boat, was selected in the third round of the 2004 NFL draft by the Tampa Bay Buccaneers out of Washington. He played 26 games for the Bucs in his first two pro seasons, then led a nomadic NFL existence.
Cooper and Smith, 29, became friends when they were teammates at Tampa Bay. Smith signed with the Bucs as an undrafted free agent in 2002, and spent last season with Detroit before becoming a free agent. The former North Carolina State standout recorded 42 tackles (28 solo), three sacks and 10 special teams tackles in 2008, his best NFL season.
Bleakley, a 25-year-old former tight end from Crystal River, Fla., was on the USF football team in 2004 and 2005. He had one reception for 13 yards in his career, which also included some time on special teams.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
2 dead, 1 missing after boat capsizes in SC river
Date: 2/19/2009
By BRUCE SMITH
Associated Press Writer
LITCHFIELD BEACH, S.C. (AP) — A mother and daughter died and a third person was missing after a small boat carrying six people capsized only 15 feet from shore on a chilly South Carolina river, authorities said Thursday.
The 14-foot boat was making the 300-yard journey across the Waccamaw River from the mainland to Sandy Island on Wednesday night when the accident happened, Georgetown County Sheriff A. Lane Cribb said.
Showers and thunderstorms swept across the coast Wednesday night but Cribb said it wasn’t clear whether the weather had anything to do with the boat capsizing.
County Coroner Kenneth Johnson identified the victims as 19-year-old Shaquatia Robinson of Sandy Island and her mother, 47-year-old Lou Ann Robinson.
Shaquatia Robinson’s 1-year-old son was found in the water and was listed in critical condition at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston on Thursday.
When the child was taken to the hospital, his body temperature was in the mid-80s, Johnson said. Doctors were able to raise it into the 90s.
Rescuers searched by air and boat Thursday for 18-year-old Rishard Pyatt, Johnson said. The capsized boat had not been found Thursday.
The sheriff said the woman operating the boat and her 5-year-old daughter were able to safely get to shore. Cribb said it was his understanding that those in the boat could not swim.
The 12,000-acre island is located between the Waccamaw and Great Pee Dee Rivers and is home to an enclave of about 20 families, most from the Gullah culture. More than 9,000 pristine acres are managed as a wildlife preserve.
The boat’s passengers were returning to the island after boarding at a landing near Litchfield Beach, an upscale coastal resort community of golf courses, condominiums and restaurants about 70 miles northeast of Charleston.
The sheriff called it one of the worst boating accidents in recent memory in Georgetown County.
“All of them are bad, but lately it’s been one of the most tragic we have had,” he said.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
By BRUCE SMITH
Associated Press Writer
LITCHFIELD BEACH, S.C. (AP) — A mother and daughter died and a third person was missing after a small boat carrying six people capsized only 15 feet from shore on a chilly South Carolina river, authorities said Thursday.
The 14-foot boat was making the 300-yard journey across the Waccamaw River from the mainland to Sandy Island on Wednesday night when the accident happened, Georgetown County Sheriff A. Lane Cribb said.
Showers and thunderstorms swept across the coast Wednesday night but Cribb said it wasn’t clear whether the weather had anything to do with the boat capsizing.
County Coroner Kenneth Johnson identified the victims as 19-year-old Shaquatia Robinson of Sandy Island and her mother, 47-year-old Lou Ann Robinson.
Shaquatia Robinson’s 1-year-old son was found in the water and was listed in critical condition at the Medical University of South Carolina in Charleston on Thursday.
When the child was taken to the hospital, his body temperature was in the mid-80s, Johnson said. Doctors were able to raise it into the 90s.
Rescuers searched by air and boat Thursday for 18-year-old Rishard Pyatt, Johnson said. The capsized boat had not been found Thursday.
The sheriff said the woman operating the boat and her 5-year-old daughter were able to safely get to shore. Cribb said it was his understanding that those in the boat could not swim.
The 12,000-acre island is located between the Waccamaw and Great Pee Dee Rivers and is home to an enclave of about 20 families, most from the Gullah culture. More than 9,000 pristine acres are managed as a wildlife preserve.
The boat’s passengers were returning to the island after boarding at a landing near Litchfield Beach, an upscale coastal resort community of golf courses, condominiums and restaurants about 70 miles northeast of Charleston.
The sheriff called it one of the worst boating accidents in recent memory in Georgetown County.
“All of them are bad, but lately it’s been one of the most tragic we have had,” he said.
Copyright 2009 The Associated Press.
GUYANA: River boat capsizes, kills at least 3 on river that borders Suriname
Date: 10/25/2008
GEORGETOWN, Guyana (AP) — Police say seven people likely drowned when a speed boat capsized on a river along the Guyana-Suriname border.
Deputy Commander Simon McBean says the boat flipped as it was crossing the Corentyne River. He says a survivor was hospitalized and cannot provide details.
McBean says police found the bodies of three women on Saturday and are still searching for four people.
Passengers often rely on speedboats to make the 20-minute trip across the river instead of using the ferry.
Authorities in both South American countries demand boat operators carry lifejackets and emergency signaling equipment. It is unclear if the boat was properly equipped.
The capsizing occurred late Friday.
Copyright 2008 The Associated Press.