TAMPA, Fla. — A West Des Moines man has a story to tell after riding out Idalia in his boat.
"I don't have to go to adventure land this year to ride the roller coaster. I've done that, I did that. But yeah, I would probably do it again. I would probably again," Roger French told Local 5.
And he wasn't alone.
"And I don't want to sound cavalier about this, you have take this serious. And I know authorities didn't like it, but there were five other captains here," he said.
French said he goes back and forth between Iowa and Florida for business, and that's why he was in Tampa when Idalia was closing in.
After watching the storm and some careful consideration, he decided to stay on board his boat.
The marina is certified for a category 3 hurricane...and he said even in the rough water and 60 mile per hour winds...he kept power and didn't really suffer much damage. Constantly watching the hurricane ..and ready to bail if need be, especially when fellow captains had stories from Fort Meyers the year before.
"If it was going to do that I was gonna be out that door abandoned ship real quick," French said. "And I'd take off trying to try and make it down the docks and up into a secure area. But I felt good about it."
Luckily for French, he didn't lose much connectivity to the outside world and, after a few hours, calm was restored.