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United States Coast Guard ship in rough waters
It’s hard not to fear the worst when a ship drops off the map after setting out to sea. Thankfully, an elderly man who was reported missing after embarking on a 5,000-mile journey in a sailboat was found alive along with his dog after enduring a lengthy ordeal on the Pacific.
History is filled with sobering reminders of the risks that come with hopping on a ship that charts a course into the open ocean, as there’s only so much you can do to avoid falling victim to the wrath of Mother Nature while navigating the nearly 140 million square miles of water that cover more than 70% of the surface of the Earth.
We thankfully now live in a world where there’s technology that can be used to increase your chance of survival if you encounter an issue on a boat, but rescue efforts can still be like attempting to find a needle in a haystack due to the sheer vastness of the world’s waters.
Each year, the United States Coast Guard responds to tens of thousands of cases while saving over 3,500 lives, and they were responsible for a happy ending after tracking down a man and a dog who were missing for more than two months.
An 86-year-old man and his dog were both found alive on a sailboat that went missing in August
According to a press release that was issued by the Coast Guard last week, an unidentified 86-year-old man was reported missing in August after embarking on his sailboat, the Willow Wind, for an approximately 5,000-mile journey from Astoria, Oregon to Pago Pago, American Samoa.
The sailor had not been heard from since August 20th, but on Tuesday, October 24th, the Coast Guard Rescue Coordination Center in Alameda, California detected a rescue beacon with the Willow Wind’s signal.
Two airplanes and a cutter were dispatched to the location approximately 460 miles off the coast of San Diego to conduct a search before one of the aerial units spotted the vessel on Tuesday night. A container ship called the Grand Orion was in the vicinity, and it charted a course toward the Willow Wind after being contacted by the Coast Guard.
Rough waters initially hampered a rescue effort, but the stranded sailor (and his dog) were successfully hauled aboard the Grand Orion on Wednesday evening. They were picked up by a Coast Guard helicopter on Thursday morning and brought back to San Diego for further treatment.
A spokesperson for the Coast Guard told The New York Post the rescued man “was weak and had difficulty walking, but no major injuries,” although they did not provide any additional information on the status of his dog.