Charles Gregory headed out for an early morning fishing trip Friday off the coast of St. Augustine, Florida —something he’d done many times before.

But the tide rose quicker than he thought. Then a wave hit his 3.6-meter jon boat — a lightweight and flat-bottomed vessel — and knocked him into the water.

He managed to get back on board but was quickly taken out to sea. For nearly two days the 25-year-old “struggled to stay alive” under the brutal Florida sun as he clung to the partially submerged boat, suffering jellyfish stings and spotting sharks, said his father Raymond Gregory.

“He was scared to death,” Raymond said. “He said he’s had more conversations with God in that 30 hours than he’s had his whole life.”

Boat crews pulled Charles from the Atlantic Ocean Saturday morning after an aircrew spotted him about 19 kilometers offshore, the U.S. Coast Guard said in a news release. Footage released by the Coast Guard shows the dramatic rescue and Charles seated in the inundated boat, its bow dipping beneath the surface of the water, before crews reached him.

It all started around 4 a.m. Friday.

Charles was last spotted leaving the Lighthouse Park Boat Ramp in the jon boat, the Coast Guard said.

As the tide took him out to sea, Charles fought to hang on to the boat and stay alive while in the direct sunlight, his father said.

The nearly two days included desperate attempts by Charles to keep the boat afloat — even removing the vessel’s motor. It also led to frantic efforts to get help — removing his swimming trunks to use to flag down nearby boats and aircraft, his father said.

But the night was the worst. At night it was freezing cold out there in that water.

Charles is now at home resting. “He’s exhausted, he’s dehydrated and is suffering from rhabdomyolysis” —which causes the breakdown of damaged muscle and leads to muscle cell contents into the bloodstream, something the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention says can be worsened by dehydration.

The severe sunburn, the bruises and the bites are making it difficult for him to move and get out of bed but he will be fine, his father said.

Raymond said he’s happy to have his son back and thankful to all the search teams and the community for his safe return.

“At the end of the day, the whole moral of the story is ‘don’t ever give up,’” he said.

Emergency services met Gregory at Vilano Beach Fishing Pier after he was rescued, the Coast Guard said in its release.

“While this case resulted in rescuing Charles from a life-threatening situation, it highlights the importance of having safety gear onboard and being prepared for the worst,” Coast Guard Sector Jacksonville Commander Nick Barrow said.

“If you plan to head out on the water, remember to have a life jacket, VHF marine grade radio, signaling devices and an emergency personal locator beacon to contact first responders in case you are in need of assistance,” he said.

Words to Learn 相关词汇

【乔恩船】qiáo’ēn chuán

jon boat

a small flat-bottom boat made of aluminum

【急救人员】 jíjiù rényuán

first responder

those responsible for going immediately to the scene of an accident or emergency to provide assistance

周五清晨，查尔斯•格雷戈里从佛罗里达州圣奥古斯丁岸边出海捕鱼 —— 他以前常这么做。

但潮水涨得比想象中要快。一个浪头打在他的 3.6 米长的平底船上，他落入水中。

他设法回到船上，但很快就被带出了海。他的父亲雷蒙德•格雷戈里说，在近两天的时间里，这位25岁的年轻人在佛罗里达残酷的阳光下“挣扎求生”，紧紧抓住部分已经没入水中的小船，被水母蜇伤，还看到了鲨鱼。

雷蒙德说：“他害怕得要死。在那 30 个小时里，他向上帝祈祷比此前所有祷告时间加起来还多。”

美国海岸警卫队在一份新闻稿中说，周六上午，一名执勤人员在离岸约19公里处发现查尔斯后，将他从大西洋中拉了上来。海岸警卫队公布的录像显示了戏剧性的营救过程，查尔斯坐在被淹没的船上，船头没在水面之下，随后救援人员将他救上船。

这一切都始于周五凌晨4点左右。海岸警卫队说，查尔斯最后一次被看见，他乘坐小船离开灯塔公园船坞。

查尔斯的父亲说，当潮水将他带向大海时，查尔斯在直射的阳光下拼命抓住小船，试图保住性命。在近两天的时间里，查尔斯拼命尝试不让船沉没，甚至拆掉了马达。他还疯狂地寻求帮助 —— 脱下游泳裤拼命挥舞，向附近的船只和飞机发出信号。但夜晚是最糟糕的。晚上，水里冷得要命。

查尔斯现在正在家中休息。他精疲力竭，脱水严重，并患有横纹肌溶解症 —— 这种病会导致受损肌肉分解，让肌肉细胞内容物进入血液，美国疾病控制和预防中心称脱水会加重病情。

雷蒙德的父亲说，严重的晒伤、瘀伤和咬伤让他很难移动或者下床，但他会康复的。雷蒙德说他很高兴儿子能平安回来，并感谢所有搜索队员为此付出的努力。

他说：“说到底，这段经历告诉我们‘永远不要放弃’”。

海岸警卫队在新闻稿中说，格雷戈里获救后，紧急救援人员在维拉诺海滩钓鱼码头等他。

杰克逊维尔分区海岸警卫队指挥官尼克•巴罗说：“虽然最终成功将查尔斯从危险的情况下解救出来，但这也凸显了在船上配备安全装备和做好最坏打算的重要性。”

他说：“如果计划出海，请您记得携带救生衣、高频海事级无线电、信号装置和紧急个人定位信标，以便在需要时联系急救人员。”

(SD-Agencies)