AUBORNDALE, Fla. — A normal fishing trip turned into an 18-hour survival story for a Florida family after their boat capsized in the Gulf of Mexico on Nov. 24.
Dennis Woods was fishing with his uncle Clarence, son-in-law Cris Harding Sr., and grandson Cris Harding Jr. when their 25-foot green-and-white catamaran called "Money Well Wasted" began taking on water about 26 miles offshore.
The four men from Polk County had left from the Seminole Street Boat Ramp in Clearwater at approximately 9:30 a.m. on Nov. 24.
"It started just leaning more, and I knew, I knew there's nothing else we could do. Tried to get to the marine radio. I didn't even have time to do that," Woods said.
The men were stranded at sea from Monday afternoon until Tuesday morning when the Coast Guard finally located them on Nov. 25. All four survived the ordeal, though Woods and his uncle required hospitalization.
The overnight hours proved especially challenging for the group, with Woods helping to keep his 90-year-old uncle safe in rough conditions.
"The night was real tough because the waves picked up, and we was having to like try to get up on top of the rigging of it, and with a 90 year old, I spent almost all night holding him up, and then he fell several times," Woods said.
During those long hours in the water, Woods relied on his faith to keep the group calm.
"We believe in God. I believe that God has us in His hands. And I don't believe we're gonna die until he's ready for us to die," Woods said.
On Sunday, the family gathered at their church in Auburndale to reflect on their experience and give thanks for their rescue.
"We gotta trust God. And we just got to do our part. We can't fall apart, we can't give up, uh, you know, we, we don't know what he's doing, but he's gotta be doing something," Woods said.
Despite the harrowing experience, Woods hasn't sworn off boating entirely. He recently accompanied a friend and his grandson on another fishing trip to ensure their safety in poor weather conditions.
"I had a friend of mine wanted to take his grandson out. I'm telling you it ain't good weather, but I didn't want, want them going out and getting in trouble, so I actually went with them," Woods said. "We plan on freshwater fishing. If we go back out in the ocean, it'll probably be on a charter boat."
Woods hopes sharing his survival story will help others understand the importance of water safety and faith during difficult times.
"My biggest takeaway is that God came through again," Woods said.
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