Man and his dog lost for over 60 days at sea rescued off California coast

An 86-year-old man and his dog were rescued after being lost for two months off the coast of California. His sailboat had drifted hundreds of kilometres away, and no one had heard from him since August 20. The US Coast Guard announced last week that the man had been sailing from Astoria, Oregon, to Pago Pago, American Samoa when all contact was lost. The man was out on a voyage, and they waited for contact to return.

On October 24, authorities were alerted that he should have contacted them by now, but he hadn't. This led to a search and rescue operation. Three days later, the Coast Guard received an emergency beacon alert from the boat. An aircraft and a cutter were sent to the place from where it was coming. Nearby vessels were also informed about the missing sailboat.

"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," the Coast Guard said.

Rough sea conditions prevented immediate rescue

Grand Orion, a motor vessel, reached the boat the next day, but dangerous sea conditions hampered the rescue. But the teams successfully saved the man and his dog later that day. The sails on the boat had been damaged, because of which it was drifting at sea.

The man and his dog got aboard a Coast Guard helicopter the next day and were flown to San Diego, where the 86-year-old was taken to Scripps Mercy Hospital. Coast Guard Cmdr. Jason Nguyen thanked the merchant mariners and Coast Guard crews for the successful conclusion of the search operation. He added that the incident is a reminder that anyone going out to sea must carry emergency communication equipment and create a float plan that someone knows about.