Tag Archives: Mate Carl Sheperd
Shrimp boat captain stranded during Irma rescued by Carnival cruise ship
A shrimp boat captain who was stranded in the Gulf of Mexico during Hurricane Irma is back at home after he was rescued by a cruise ship. Edward Potter arrived Wednesday at Tampa International Airport, embracing family members who feared they would never see him again. Potter and first mate Carl Sheperd were caught in the storm in a 75-foot fishing boat based out of Tarpon Springs. “They were getting water in the engine room and Edward was working on the engine room, and we talked to Carl on the phone and then we couldn’t get in touch with him anymore,” friend Rick Shalansky said. Video, click here to read the story 11:51
Tarpon Springs boat captain returns after fateful encounter with Irma
The captain had few words to say after he got off the airplane, but most of them were about his former deckhand. “Carl Sheperd was the best man, best friend,” Capt. Edward Potter said. “I can’t say anything more … but I love that man.” It was just weeks before that the men had set off on Potter’s shrimp boat, the Capt. Eddie, from Pelican Point Seafood in Tarpon Springs for a shrimping trip to the Florida Keys. About a week into their journey, Hurricane Irma developed and came barreling west toward the Florida Straits. Potter, 61, on just the start of what is typically a 30- to 40-day excursion, thought they could outrun it. But the storm caught up with them, pummeling the boat, the two men on board and their feline passenger, Motorboat. Only Potter made it back alive. click here to read the story 23:16
