Boat captain floating on cooler rescued off Florida Gulf Coast after riding out Milton

A boat captain stuck in the Gulf of Mexico after his boat broke down as Hurricane Milton struck was rescued Thursday afternoon after he rode out the massive storm on the open ocean, staying afloat using a cooler and his lifejacket.

A U.S. Coast Guard helicopter retrieved the man at around 1:30 p.m. about 30 miles off Longboat Key, a Florida barrier island just a few miles north of Siesta Key where Hurricane Milton made landfall.

He was wearing a life jacket and clinging to a cooler when he was found, and was taken to a Tampa hospital. His name was not disclosed.

“This man survived in a nightmare scenario for even the most experienced mariner. … We estimate he experienced approximately 75-90 mph winds, 20-25 foot seas, for an extended period of time to include overnight. He survived because of a life jacket, his emergency position indicating locator beacon, and a cooler,” Coast Guard Sector St. Petersburg Lt. Cmdr. Dana Grady said in an agency statement.

The boat, the fishing vessel Capt. Dave, had become disabled Monday when its rudder failed, requiring the rescue of the captain and a crewmate. The Capt. Dave was left adrift with plans to go salvage it.

At around noon Wednesday, the boat’s owner told the Coast Guard that the captain had gone back out to the Capt. Dave at around 3 a.m. and never returned. When Coast Guard personnel contacted the captain, he told them the boat’s rudder had once again become disabled while he tried to return to port.

Contact was lost with the boat captain at around 6:45 p.m. Wednesday, and he proceeded to ride out Hurricane Milton.