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Boaters abandon ship, survive by clinging to cooler
01:56 - Source: KPRC

Story highlights

Two boaters went missing on Monday during a 5-hour fishing trip in Galveston

The men clung to a cooler, gas platforms to survive two days at sea

CNN  — 

Two fishermen survived two days at sea thanks to their trusty cooler.

Michael Watkins and Raymond Jacik went missing in Galveston Bay on Monday morning after embarking on what was supposed to be a five-hour fishing trip, according to the U.S. Coast Guard.

The men said their 20-foot fishing boat started taking on water and a rogue wave capsized the vessel before they could even put on life jackets.

“I had no time to grab anything. Nothing. No keys, no wallet, no phone,” Jacik told CNN affiliate KPRC from his hospital bed.

“Me and Mike grabbed the cooler and said on three, jump in. I don’t know what I was thinking, but I was just trying to help us,” he said.

The men clutched the floating cooler and split a sandwich and a bottle of water that were in it before they were separated.

Jacik made it to a gas platform, where he was rescued by a Coast Guard helicopter on Wednesday morning. Watkins was found on a different platform, where he was rescued within minutes of his friend.

Exhausted, dehydrated and bruised, the men were taken to different hospitals for treatment. Both were in stable condition, according to the Coast Guard.