PORT RICHEY, FL -- Before Ida made its way into the Gulf of Mexico, fishing charter captain Joe Meadows was looking at a pretty good week.
"I had a 12 hour trip scheduled for Friday, 9 hour trip scheduled for Saturday, and a 12 hour trip scheduled for today. And canceled all three of them because of rough seas," said Joe Meadows of Paladin Fishing Charters.
Those cancellations cost Joe 3,000 dollars, and while it looks calm near the dock he knows it's just not safe out there.
He says the waves about a hundred miles off shore are a massive 18 to 20 feet high. "You would not be able to stand-up. As a matter of fact, 18 foot seas. The boat may not take it. It would be sink the boat time," said Meadows.
A man from Hudson saw Ida's power first hand. The Coast Guard says Gregory Lansier's boat got caught in the high winds and rough seas 50 miles west of Clearwater.
They rescued Lansier and his dog, hoisting them to safety.
Capt. Joe says with weather like this, boaters should know better. "There was no reason for anyone to be out there. 50 miles off shore, yesterday. Sorry."
The man and the dog are ok. But with this late season storm, business is hurting. From charters to those that offer high stakes on the high seas.
The captain of a Port Richey casino boat says the weather is not too bad out in the Gulf right now. He says the main reason they are docked isn't because of the weather, but because customers are probably scared away.
State officials are urging people to secure their boats all around the Gulf. They are also hoping thrill-seekers stay away from the storm surge.
While the seas remain too rough to navigate, it's a good day to fix the Paladin's hydraulic steering. Capt. Joe knows Ida's effect will soon leave the Bay area. And they can get back to business.
