Two Bahamian Anglers Rescued after a Week Afloat
OutdoorHub Reporters 09.17.13
Roughly 30 miles off the coast of West Palm Beach, two Bahamian men in their 50s held onto the hull of their capsized vessel for nearly eight days before rescue. According to The Sun-Sentinel, the drifting vessel was nearly swept away into deeper waters by the Gulf Stream before it was spotted by a passing freighter. The Coast Guard was then notified and a rescue team was scrambled for a helicopter retrieval.
“They were really exposed and really deteriorating quickly,” said Coast Guard swimmer Kyle Stallings.
The rescue team did not know at first that the two men had been out on the water for over a week, but they did note severe cases of dehydration, hypothermia and other exposure-related issues.
“I swam over, and you could see they were excited,” Stallings told CBS. “They definitely were on their last ray of hope and they were ready to get off that boat.”
The two men later told officials that they had been out fishing, although it is unknown why their vessel capsized. They were found at least 60 miles away from the nearest Bahamian island and spokespeople with the U.S. Customs and Border Protection say they do not believe the pair was attempting to enter the U.S. illegally. During the course of their ordeal, the anglers said they drank sea water out of desperation. Salt water can hasten dehydration along with a host of other negative effects such as kidney failure.
Otherwise, the Coast Guard rescue swimmers are impressed with the pair’s endurance throughout the ordeal. Neither of the men had life jackets or any other flotation devices.
“They had nothing to hold onto; they were just laying flat [on the hull] and hoping they didn’t slide off,” said helicopter pilot Jerod Glover.
The two men are currently recuperating and will be returning home to the Bahamas once they have recovered.
CBS’s report can be seen below:
