If I had a fishing boat like that and regularly went way off shore, especially off the southern coast of florida, It'd probably be smart to at least have a small firearm on board. Having said that, if I happened to see a liferaft, and the weather was relatively calm, etc. I'd probably call the coast guard and keep them in close visual range until help arrived. Maybe make a close drive by and toss 'em a couple of bottles of water or something. This is one sad story though.