A battered powerboat stuck in sand on Fort Myers Beach in front of the Lani Kai is becoming a photo-op for Spring Breakers, but the wreck symbolizes something more serious.
Lee County’s Marine Emergency Response Team (MERT) responded to a record-breaking 17 water rescues in just one week, as rough weather, strong winds, and a few poor decisions made a dangerous mix on the water.
A jet skier was pulled from the Caloosahatchee River, a windsurfer got caught in a sudden storm, a kayaker in distress, a capsized sailboat and eight people had to be rescued off Sanibel after their boat began sinking, are some of the rescues.
MM, who leads MERT, working closely with LCSO and FWC on marine calls, says spring break visitors added to the chaos.
“A lot of people weren’t prepared to be in that rough water,” said M, who also serves as the fire chief for Useppa Island. “We had a lot of calls where boats got stranded on beaches because the waves and wind pushed them up. We’ve had jet skiers that were in distress that fell off, and their jet ski drifted off too fast away from them to get back on it.”
Charter Captain DR with Fish Tank Charters says he canceled four trips over the weekend because of the dangerous conditions.
“When you have 30-mile-an-hour winds out in the bay, it’s hard to not have something happen,” R said. “People just don’t watch the weather or understand what’s going on, and you take a boat out there, and it’s very easy to mess up or have an accident.”
He believes the powerboat, now nearly buried on Fort Myers Beach, could have avoided disaster if the owner had simply paid attention to the tides and forecast.
“Once your boat breaks loose, there’s nothing you can do when it’s pushed onto the beach,” R said.
M says the combination of spring break crowds and the cold front caught boaters off guard. MERT urges boaters to check the tides and weather before heading out, make sure you’ve got life jackets, a radio, and safety gear, avoid overloading your boat, and if you’re new to the water, take a boater safety course because it could make all the difference.
In addition, FWC urges boaters to create a float plan so someone knows where you’re going, wear a properly fitted life jacket at all times, and maintain constant awareness of your surroundings, noting that many accidents happen because of inattention or lack of lookout.
The owner of the powerboat is working with his insurance and a tow company to get the boat removed as soon as possible. Until then, Spring Breakers are using it as an unexpected backdrop for selfies.
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Source: gulfcoastnewsnow
