Two men and a pet dog were rescued by the Coast Guard after they became stranded en route to Florida.
Kevin Hyde, 65, and Joe Ditomasso, 76, disappeared on 3 December after they sailed from North Carolina’s Outer Banks. They had initially set sail from Cape May, New Jersey, on their boat named “Atrevida II,” ABC affiliate WPVI-TV reported.
They were stranded for 10 days after running out of fuel off the Delaware coast. A search was launched when relatives of Mr Hyde and Mr Ditomasso alerted the US Coast Guard that the pair hadn’t arrived in Marathon, Florida, as they had intended.
The men had been unable to use their radios to ask for help. They were found around 4.20pm on Tuesday and brought aboard the Coast Guard’s Silver Muna tanker.
Mr Hyde and Mr Ditomasso were found in good condition. They were set to be further evaluated once they arrived in New York on Wednesday.
The US Navy Second Fleet vessels and other commercial and recreational boats joined the Coast Guard’s four HC-130 Hercules aircraft in the search, which covered 21,164 square miles from the coasts of New Jersey to Florida.
Family members of the men told WPVI-TV that they did not immediately answer the Coast Guard’s questions because they were extremely tired.
“I texted Kevin, I said, ‘Kev as soon as your phone has service please call or text, we’re worried about your safety.’ I’ve been calling and texting both but nothing,” family friend Dan Sekel recounted to the network.
“This is an excellent example of the maritime community’s combined efforts to ensure safety of life at sea,” Coast Guard spokesman Daniel Schrader, a Coast Guard spokesman said in a statement, per The New York Post.
“We are overjoyed with the outcome of the case and look forward to reuniting Mr. Hyde and Mr. Ditomasso with their family and friends.”
He continued: “We also want to highlight the importance of proper safety equipment and preparedness when going to sea.”
“Having an emergency position indicating radio beacon, or ‘EPIRB’, allows mariners to immediately make contact with first responders in an emergency.”
