Barstool Sports activities founder Dave Portnoy stated he considers himself fortunate to be alive after he discovered himself adrift on his boat with no energy off Nantucket on Monday.
“I am a comparatively new boater,” Portnoy stated in an interview with NBC10 Boston’s Colton Bradford on Tuesday. “I spent my summer time’s hitting dingers, I wasn’t a part of a yacht membership. I am a brand new boat man — it was my third day trip on a ship.”
Portnoy, 47, who posted a video to social media on Monday referring to himself as “Captain Dave,” stated he nonetheless is not certain if he untethered his boat earlier than attempting to show it on or if it broke free.
“Solely God is aware of,” he stated. “What I do know is I used to be now not tethered to the buoy, and the boat was lifeless. I knew I used to be lifeless meat proper then. The present was sturdy, in all probability a 20 mph wind on Nantucket, and I had no radio, I had no engine and I had no nothing. I used to be simply floating off to sea, and I knew I used to be screwed.”
Barstool Sports activities proprietor Dave Portnoy, sitting in entrance of a “Do not Give Up the Ship” signal, explains how nervous he felt whereas his boat was adrift on a ship in a Nantucket harbor and the way he was rescued by a younger girl in a dinghy who acknowledged
“I do not need to say I stayed calm. The ocean would not care how a lot cash you’ve gotten. It’s going to drown you fast, it’s going to humble you fast, so I used to be very nervous. I did not know what was going to occur.”
Portnoy stated he thought of leaping off the boat, however fortunately he did not must as a result of he bumped into a lady and a toddler on a small rowboat, who immediately acknowledged him.
“I used to be clearly at this level exasperated, sunburned — it was like Tom Hanks in ‘Castaway,'” he stated.
The girl radioed in to the harbormaster, however the line was busy, so she known as the Coast Guard, who arrived and rescued him.
“I owe her my life,” he stated. “With out her I might nonetheless be midway to St. Barts, who is aware of?”
Portnoy stated he nonetheless would not know who the lady was, calling her his “unknown hero for the night time.”
He additionally praised the Coast Guard for his or her professionalism.
“Ten out of 10, nothing however pure class,” he stated. “They gave me the tow, they did not make an excessive amount of enjoyable of me, stated it might occur to anyone, even essentially the most seasoned captain … They had been tremendous skilled, nice at their job, and I can not thank them sufficient. With out them, possibly I get eaten by a shark, you simply do not know.”
Fortuitously, Portnoy stated his rescue canine Miss Peaches wasn’t with him on the boat.
“No, thank God,” he stated. “No, that will’ve been … I do not know what I might’ve carried out. I might’ve needed to defend her with my life. At that time I used to be very nervous for my very own life. I am not prepared for her to affix me on my adventures fairly but. I gotta have whole confidence.”
Portnoy additionally vowed to get again out on the water.
“Life knocks you down, you gotta get again up,” he stated. “However you possibly can’t take the ocean flippantly. That will be my recommendation for wannabe captains.”