A 22-year-old Zephyrhills man who disappeared during a boat test run on Lake Tarpon Friday was found dead Sunday morning, according to the Pinellas County Sheriff’s Office. Christopher Wilson Jr. launched an 18-foot Carolina Skiff from Lansbrook Lakefront Park. Roughly an hour later, deputies located the skiff drifting near Juniper Bay with no one on board. Wilson worked at Boat and Motor Supercenters, and the boat was in his shop’s care for engine repairs when he took it out for the test.
The search stretched across two days and involved the sheriff’s Flight and Marine units, East Lake Fire Rescue, the Palm Harbor Fire Department, and the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission. Crews worked by water and by air through Saturday. Wilson’s body was found floating in the lake Sunday morning. Deputies said the incident appears accidental, and the medical examiner will determine the official cause of death.
For anyone who spends time on Lake Tarpon, this is a sobering reminder of how fast conditions can change on a lake we all treat as familiar. If you’re heading out this week, check your life jackets, file a float plan with someone on shore, and keep a charged phone in a dry bag.
Have you ever had a close call on the water here on the Suncoast? Tell us in the comments.
