Thank you Roxanne for sharing this information.
It truely puts perspective on what happened out there. It is very sad. I always hold hope but it sounds like they just got too weak to hang on and climb back up anymore.
I have lived in Pinellas county since 1971 when my family moved here from Rochester NY, I was 5 years old. My first memory is standing on Clearwater Beach looking out into the gulf as I considered the vastness before me.
Growing up in Dunedin, I spent many summer days sailing, fishing, snorkling, in the Gulf and learned a respect for the waters. I have known people who where hit by lightning while out on their boats from sudden storms moving in and lived to tell about it. I have also known people who have lost their lives to the gulf while out partying on the barrier islands and their boats floated away, drunk they swam after the boat to retreive it and parished in the sea. This happened more then once.
Check this website out,
http://www.pcsoweb.com/pages/missing_persons.html
This is the sheriffs website of missing persons, notice how many went out to fish and never came back, they where also never found.
Growing up here, like I said, I have learned to respect the Gulf of Mexico and can only imagine how huge it is and how many secrets it keeps.
With this said, I prefer swimming in pools and fishing off piers. In other words I keep my feet on land.
My prayers are with the families today, that their loved ones will come home to give them peace of mind and they will not be lost at sea like the others who's families will never know what became of them.