JACKSONVILLE, Fla. — George Reagan usually goes fishing off the many bridges in Jacksonville. But on Sunday, he couldn't pass up the opportunity to go fishing on his friend's new boat.
Reagan had only gone boating a few times before, and with the beautiful weather, he thought, why not?
Reagan, his friend, and his friend's 14-year-old son launched off the Sister's Creek boat ramp. When they reached the Mayport jetties something wasn't right.
"The engine shut off," said Reagan.
His friend tried to restart it, but then an alarm went off. They lifted the motor cover and that's when they realized, "the engine was completely submerged."
Reagan then called the U.S. Coast Guard as the boat quickly started taking on water.
"We could feel the boat slowly rotating over," said Reagan.
After recently completing fire school, Reagan knew he had to calmly make a "mayday" call over the boat's radio, using his phone's GPS to give their location. Then, with life vests on, they knew they had to jump.
Reagan did everything he could to keep his friends and himself alive.
“I just tried to stay as calm as possible and had high hopes that we were going to see somebody,” said Reagan.
But just a mile and a half away, Commander Michael Key heard Reagan's call on his own radio. He high-tailed his boat to them. The sight is something Key will never forget.
“There are three souls floating in the water,” Key reported via radio to the Coast Guard. Then, Key reported to the Coast Guard what some might call, a miracle.
“They are good, they are good," he said.
For Reagan and his friends, seeing Key’s boat was an enormous relief.
While floating in the water, “it may have been 15 to 20 minutes," said Reagan, but, "it felt like three days.”
The three men were safely pulled aboard Key’s boat and brought back to shore.
“That was probably one of the greatest feelings in the world knowing I was going to make it back home to see my wife and kids again," said Reagan.
The ordeal reminded everyone of the firefighters still missing from earlier this year.
“That played a big part in my mind, you know, I know how easy it is to get lost, especially at sea. It’s too big of an ocean and we’re too small,” said Reagan.
The night before, Reagan said he had a premonition. While home, he passed his son in the hallway and said, “give me a kiss like you’re never going to see me again.”
A day after his miraculous rescue, Reagan thinks of that moment, thankful to be alive, to be able to hug and kiss his sons again, and forever grateful to Key for saving him.