An 86-year-old sailor and his dog were successfully rescued on Wednesday after being stranded at sea for over two months, according to U.S. Coast Guard authorities.
The operation began on Saturday, October 24, when authorities received a missing person report for the sailor aboard the Willow Wind, a sailboat that had departed Astoria, Oregon, bound for Pago Pago, American Samoa. Nobody had heard from the sailor or his pet since August 20.
On Tuesday afternoon, however, the Coast Guard Rescue Coordination Center in Alameda detected a distress signal from an emergency position indicating radio beacon registered to the vessel.
“Watchstanders coordinated the launch of a Coast Guard Air Station Sacramento C-27 Spartan aircrew and diverted an HC-130 Hercules aircrew and the Coast Guard Cutter Robert Ward (WPC 1130), and requested assistance from nearby vessels,” authorities said.
The Spartan aircrew spotted the Willow Wind late Tuesday night. The commercial vessel Grand Orion answered the call for help, arriving at the location around 3:20 a.m. Wednesday.
Strong sea conditions initially thwarted rescue attempts, but by 5:36 p.m., the crew of the Grand Orion safely recovered both the mariner and his dog from the drifting sailboat, which had sustained severe sail damage.
On Thursday morning, a helicopter crew from Coast Guard Air Station San Diego hoisted the pair from the Grand Orion and brought them to Coast Guard Sector San Diego. Emergency medical personnel subsequently transferred the sailor to Scripps Mercy Hospital for a comprehensive evaluation. Officials have not yet released an update on the condition of the sailor or his dog.
“We are grateful to the merchant mariners and Coast Guard crews whose coordinated efforts brought this search to a successful conclusion,” said Coast Guard Cmdr. Jason Nguyen, Southwest District command center chief. “This case highlights the importance of carrying emergency communication equipment and creating a float plan so someone ashore knows your voyage plans.”
