An 86-year-old sailor and his dog have been rescued from a disabled boat hundreds of miles off California after more than two months without contact. The operation involved Coast Guard aircraft, a cutter and a merchant vessel, whose crew brought the pair aboard after rough seas initially prevented a safe rescue.
The man had been traveling aboard the Willow Wind from Astoria, Oregon, toward Pago Pago in American Samoa. According to information the U.S. Coast Guard released Friday, contact with him ended Aug. 20. Authorities received word on Oct. 24 that he was overdue and began searching for the sailor and his boat.
An emergency beacon signal from the Willow Wind reached the Coast Guard three days after the overdue report. The alert prompted a response by air and sea, with the service also asking vessels nearby to help search the area. A Coast Guard aircrew located the sailboat that evening, approximately 460 miles from San Diego.
The Coast Guard dispatched a C-27 Spartan aircrew from Air Station Sacramento and redirected both an HC-130 Hercules aircrew and the cutter Robert Ward to assist. The motor vessel Grand Orion arrived at the Willow Wind early the next morning, but sea conditions made an immediate transfer of the man and dog too dangerous.
Later that day, the Grand Orion crew safely took both aboard. The sailboat's sails were damaged, and the Willow Wind remained adrift after the rescue. The man and his dog stayed aboard the merchant vessel until a Coast Guard helicopter crew reached them the following morning.
The helicopter picked them up from the Grand Orion roughly 170 miles west of Ventura, California, and flew them to San Diego. The man was then taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital for further evaluation. The Coast Guard released no additional information about his condition.
Coast Guard Cmdr. Jason Nguyen credited the merchant mariners and Coast Guard crews with working together to complete the rescue successfully. In a statement, he expressed gratitude for the coordinated response that brought the search to its conclusion.
Nguyen also pointed to the importance of having emergency communication equipment aboard and preparing a float plan so that someone on shore knows the intended voyage. Fox News Digital reported that it could not immediately reach the Coast Guard for further comment.
