Good Samaritans Rescue 86-Year-Old Yachtsman in Mid-Pacific
Last week, the U.S. Coast Guard helped arrange a rescue for an 86-year-old yachtsman whose vessel got into trouble on a long-distance voyage from the U.S. West Coast to American Samoa.
On October 24, the Coast Guard received notice of a mariner who was under way in the pacific and overdue. He was under way from Astoria, Oregon to Pago Pago, and had not been in contact since August 20, more than a month prior.
On October 26, the Coast Guard received an EPIRB alert from the man's yacht, the Willow Wind. In response, the service dispatched two search aircraft and a cutter, the USCGC Robert Ward. One of the search planes found the yacht later that evening, and a merchant ship - the PCTC Grand Orion - diverted to assist, arriving at 0320 hours on the 27th.
Conditions on scene were too rough to effect a rescue that morning, so Grand Orion stood by to await calmer seas. At about 1730 hours, the ship's crew managed to reach Willow Wind and retrieve the yachtsman - and his dog, too. The vessel's sails were damaged, and Grand Orion left it adrift.
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On Thursday morning, Grand Orion approached to within helicopter flight distance of the California coast, and a Coast Guard Jayhawk aircrew flew out to rendezvous with the ship. The Jayhawk crew hoisted the survivor ashore to deliver him to Coast Guard Sector San Diego, where he was transferred to a nearby hospital for a checkup.
"This case highlights the importance of carrying emergency communication equipment and creating a float plan so someone ashore knows your voyage plans," said Coast Guard Cmdr. Jason Nguyen, Southwest District command center chief. "We are grateful to the merchant mariners and Coast Guard crews whose coordinated efforts brought this search to a successful conclusion."
