News

Aug 23, 2023

Man Dragged Out to Sea on Small Boat, Removed Motor to Stay Afloat

The father of a 25-year-old man who was lost at sea for almost 1 ½ days told CNN that his son tried everything he could to survive, including removing his boat's engine to keep the lightweight vessel

The father of a 25-year-old man who was lost at sea for almost 1 ½ days told CNN that his son tried everything he could to survive, including removing his boat's engine to keep the lightweight vessel afloat.

Charles Gregory had gone fishing off the coast of St. Augustine, Florida, on Friday when the tide suddenly rose and caused a large wave to knock him off his small, flat-bottomed craft, CNN reported.

Though he managed to climb back on board, the tide carried him out to sea, where he remained for some 30 hours, according to the media outlet.

The man's father, Raymond Gregory, told CNN that his son's skin was burned by the scorching sun and the lack of shade. And at night, the man had to brave the freezing cold, made more painful by his severe sunburn, his father said.

He also encountered sharks and was stung by jellyfish, his father said.

"He was scared to death," he added. "He said he's had more conversations with God in that 30 hours than he's had his whole life."

The US Coast Guard said in a press statement that Gregory was reported missing on Friday evening and that crews rescued him on Saturday.

The statement said an airplane crew spotted Gregory sitting in his "partially submerged" 12-foot boat about 12 miles offshore of St. Augustine.

The Coast Guard then rescued Gregory and transported him back to land, the press release said.

His father told CNN that Gregory tried various means to survive, including removing the motor from his boat to keep the partially submerged vessel afloat.

He also took off his swimming trunks and waved them in an attempt to flag down boats or aircraft, his father said.

His father said that Gregory was expected to make a full recovery but that he was struggling to move because of his injuries.

He's also suffering from rhabdomyolysis, a heat-related medical condition that can occur when damaged muscle tissues release their proteins and electrolytes into the blood, he added.

Still, the father told CNN: "At the end of the day, the whole moral of the story is 'don't ever give up.'"

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