Live-aboard couple in Tampa braces for Hurricane Ian

TAMPA, FL. (WSMV) - A Columbia couple that now lives on a boat in Florida is bracing themselves as Hurricane Ian inches its way toward the Sunshine State.

Emily Crews and her husband Cole live in Sarasota, Florida, directly in Hurricane Ian’s path. The pair recently bought their dream boat, a 44-foot Catamaran for a dream trip starting in Tampa. The couple has been trying to do everything they can to protect, not only their boat, but themselves. For Cole and Emily, it has literally been all hands on deck.

“This is something we’ve been planning,” Emily said. “We put all our eggs in this boat. Everything we own is on this boat, so our life is on this boat. This is where we eat work sleep, and pray.”

Praying is really all Emily and Cole can do now.

“It comes down to either us hunkering down, or we make a run for Miami,” the couple said.

The couple will be going north to safety, but the boat will be on its own, so hoping is all that’s left.

“The best outcome is that it springs off to the Gulf of Mexico, but we know that’s not reality,” the couple said.

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