Sailor, 86, and dog rescued more than 450 miles off California coast two months after vanishing
Published: | Updated:
An elderly man and his dog who had been missing for two months were miraculously rescued 460 miles off the coast of San Diego.
The 86-year-old mariner and his four-legged friend had set sail from Astoria, Oregon, in August, the US Coast Guard said.
The duo had planned to sail 5,000 miles southwest of California on their sailboat, Willow Wind, to reach Pago Pago in American Samoa.
Friends and family had not heard from the man since August 20, but did not report him missing until late October, at which point the Coast Guard launched a massive search.
Randy Enders, who identified himself as the neighbor of the elderly sailor, claimed that he alerted authorities about the sailor.
‘This is my neighbor. I reported him missing to the Coast Guard and he was located three days later,’ Enders wrote on Facebook.
The US Coast Guard said that the team received a report about the overdue sailor and his dog on October 24.
The crew eventually found the sailboat some 460 miles off the California coast, officials said.
An 86-year-old mariner and his four-legged friend were rescued two months after they vanished off the San Diego coast
The mariner's sailboat was located roughly 450 miles off the California coast, the US Coast Guard said
The man and his dog were hoisted and transported to Coast Guard Sector San Diego a day after the incredible rescue.
The man was taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital for further evaluation, the officials said.
'When emergency medical personnel were able to evaluate the mariner, he was weak and had difficulty walking, but no major injuries,' the Coast Guard told The California Post.
The elderly mariner and his furry companion had covered more than 1,000 nautical miles during their months-long ordeal, the outlet reported.
‘We are grateful to the merchant mariners and Coast Guard crews whose coordinated efforts brought this search to a successful conclusion,’ Coast Guard Commander Jason Nguyen said.
‘This case highlights the importance of carrying emergency communication equipment and creating a float plan so someone ashore knows your voyage plans.’
The man was hoisted and transported to San Diego and then taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital for further evaluation
According to a fundraising page set up by Enders, the man’s name is Harry Blodgett and his dog’s name is Sasha.
‘They endured two months at sea after their boat became disabled. This experience left them with both physical and emotional scars,' Enders said.
'Sadly, their boat and everything on it have been lost forever. Now they're trying to start over without permanent housing and with very limited income.'
KioskNews shows a cleaned-up reading view extracted from the publisher’s page — the original always lives on their site, not ours.