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Being superdrunk and floating on an inflatable raft off Florida’s beaches is a time-honored tradition. It perfectly sums up the Sunshine State. Seriously, that ship on our state seal should be replaced with a drunk old guy in a Hawaiian shirt passed out on a neon-pink raft.
Unfortunately, even some of the greatest things in life can go terribly wrong. Ask 48-year-old Jerry Whipple. He passed out on a pool float off Bellair Beach, drifted a mile into the Gulf of Mexico, and had to be rescued by the Coast Guard.
A civilian on a 22-foot boat first spotted Whipple and honked his boat horn at him. He didn’t respond, so the boater called the Coast Guard. Around 12:30 yesterday, they made their valiant rescue.
“He was sitting on a small pool raft. Had no idea where he was, didn’t know what time of day it was, how long he was out for, or even how far offshore he was,” Coast Guard Petty Officer Brodie MacDonald told Connect 10. “The winds were blowing him further out. Really, he is quite lucky he is still alive today.”
No word on whether Whipple will face charges (for what?), but the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office is investigating the incident.
