Fort Myers Beach resident Joe Wilson, who rode out Ian on his sailboat: 'It was evil'

Joe Wilson talks to the media from Hertz Arena Thursday, Thursday, Sept. 29, 2022. He was airlifted by the Coast Guard out of Matanzas Pass early this morning. He survived Hurricane Ian in his sailboat.

The 71-year-old Joe Wilson had to bail his boat out of Matanzas Pass and he wondered what he would do. It's survival time. You won't survive in that water if you don't do anything.

It was dark by the time I woke up. The wind and water were strong.

A piece of foam fell at his cabin hatch. He brought it inside when there was a lull in the wind.

Wilson said that a better flotation device was needed. God must have said, "We're going to do you a favor"

Joe Wilson, 71, said he "learned my lesson" after staying on his sailboat in Fort Myers Beach during Hurricane Ian. He was rescued by the Coast Guard on Sept. 29, 2022. “I’m not going to even be on my boat during a tropical storm. I’m done with that. I’m so done with that."

He pulled on his wet suit and thought he could ride the tides to shore if his boat sank.

I thought it was bad. It just kept going. Taking a hammer was just like that.

He has been living on the boat for the past four years.

He was able to survive after bailing water for hours and remembering a boating rule.

The man was rescued by the Coast Guard. The storm taught him a lesson, even though the rule saved him.

I won't be on my boat during a storm. I don't want to do that anymore. He said he was done with that. It was the worst experience I have had in my boat.

The Fort Myers Beach resident who rode out Ian on his boat said it was evil.