Faith and Survival: Mulberry Men Survive 20-Hour Ordeal Lost at Sea

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POLK COUNTY, Fla. (WFLA) — Three of the four men from Mulberry who were rescued after spending almost a full day adrift due to their capsized boat attribute their survival to divine intervention.

Pastor Dennis Woods from the Apostolic Church of Jesus Christ in Auburndale, his uncle Clarence Woods, along with his son-in-law Cris Harding Sr. and grandson Cris Harding Jr., were saved last Tuesday morning. They had been holding onto their overturned 25-foot catamaran for close to 20 hours before help arrived.

On Sunday afternoon, Woods, Harding Sr., and Harding Jr. shared their harrowing experience during a church gathering.

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The group set off from the Seminole Street boat ramp around 9:30 a.m. on Monday. Clearwater Police reported that the vessel likely capsized between noon and 1 p.m.

The men had no food, water, or means of communication in the rough Gulf waters, 26 miles offshore.

“He already had a plan in motion, and that’s what we gotta do is wait on God,” Woods said. “You think you got it all under control and the boat still flips, and you’re there with no communication. You’re there with no way to notify anybody, but I’m glad we got a God up in heaven that listens to our prayers.”

When the group failed to return by 4 p.m. Monday, Woods’ sister, Darlene Lott, alerted both Clearwater Police and the U.S. Coast Guard.

“I knew in my spirit then there was something wrong,” Lott said.

An air crew from Miami located the capsized boat Tuesday morning, and the Sand Key boat crew brought the four men safely back to Station Sand Key around 9 a.m., where they were reunited with their family.

“I wasn’t entirely sure if God was going to pull us through, but I’m thankful that I’m here,” said Cris Harding, Jr.

“When you have no means of nothing, no means of reaching out…but God, he gave us peace. I’m so thankful for him,” Cris Harding, Sr. added.

The family has since created a GoFundMe to cover the cost of salvaging the boat.

You can find the link to it here.