Woman recounts the day she along with her boyfriend and dog were stranded on boat for hours

ST. MARYS, Fla. — A Jacksonville woman, who didn’t want to be identified on camera is now safe after her boyfriend and dog were stranded on a boat in the St Marys River just days ago.

“So we had left camping the Cumberland Island super early in the morning,” the woman said.

The woman tells Action News Jax they were heading from Cumberland Island to return to St. Marys from a camping trip, she says that’s when something really bad happened.

“The motor gave out on the boat. So my boyfriend had cranked it back kind of in a panic, I guess the string on the motor got tangled up,” the woman said.

The woman tells Action News Jax this caused the motor to stop and they were literally 5 to 10 minutes away from a boating dock.

She also says it was very cold that morning and they were hoping someone would see them stranded.

“We were screaming for help. Trying to use the oars to get back to the shore, but the water was so cold and choppy it was not working,” the woman said.

She says while on the boat they called authorities for help

As the woman and her boyfriend waited for help, the cold weather started to sink in.

“We got super wet. I thought I started to experience hyperthermia at that point, me and my dog were shaking,” the woman said.

Finally, authorities came and saved the couple and their dog. We spoke with Joshua Huffmon, who is a detective with the Nassau Cunty Sheriff’s Office Marine Unit.

He says when the woman, her boyfriend, and their dog Moose saw them, they were excited to get help.

“Extremely relieved especially the female on the boat, she was obviously relieved to be out of the situation,” Huffmon said.

We did ask the young lady if she would ever get back on a boat after this scare and she says absolutely.

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