Sailors Are Rescued After 10 Days Adrift in the Atlantic - The New York Times

U.S.|Sailors Are Rescued After 10 Days Adrift successful the Atlantic

It was expected to beryllium a amusive sailing travel from New Jersey to the Florida Keys for 2 friends and a miniature poodle named Minnie.

But things didn’t spell arsenic planned. On Dec. 3, aft the men departed Oregon Inlet, successful the Outer Banks of North Carolina, they mislaid interaction with their families, the U.S. Coast Guard said.

They besides mislaid powerfulness and fuel, leaving them adrift for much than 10 days.

On Tuesday, the men, Joe DiTomasso, 76, and Kevin Hyde, 65, were rescued on with Minnie aft the unit of a tanker vas named the Silver Muna spotted them astir 214 miles disconnected the seashore of Delaware, the U.S. Coast Guard said successful a statement.

Mr. DiTomasso, a retired car mechanic from Cape May, N.J., and Mr. Hyde embarked connected their travel connected Nov. 27, Nina DiTomasso, Mr. DiTomasso’s daughter, said successful an interrogation connected Wednesday.

“They wanted to flight and get to warmer weather,” she said.

When she and her household were incapable to scope Mr. DiTomasso by telephone days later, they didn’t deliberation overmuch of it astatine first.

“My dada is truly atrocious with his telephone and charger,” she said. “We kept calling and it kept going to dependable mail.”

“But past we got disquieted due to the fact that radical couldn’t scope Kevin either,” Ms. DiTomasso continued. Another concern, she said, was that her father’s recognition paper had not been utilized since Dec. 3.

On Sunday, the Coast Guard started a hunt by aerial and oversea that covered much than 21,100 quadrate miles of h2o from bluish Florida to New Jersey.

The men were aboard a 30-foot sailboat, Atrevida II — the connection means “daring” successful Spanish — erstwhile they ran retired of substance and power, rendering their radios and navigation instrumentality inoperable, the Coast Guard said, adding that the sailboat’s mast besides broke off.

The men had been drifting for much than 10 days erstwhile they caught the attraction of the tanker’s unit by waving their arms, according to the Coast Guard.

“My dada was waving a greenish flag,” Ms. DiTomasso said.

The unit brought Mr. DiTomasso, his canine and Mr. Hyde onto the tanker, wherever they were evaluated by members of the ship’s aesculapian staff, the Coast Guard said.

Commander Schrader said the men were “very acold and fatigued” erstwhile they came aboard.

The men were expected to beryllium taken to New York Harbor and brought ashore connected Wednesday for further evaluation, and to beryllium reunited with their families, the Coast Guard said.

Ms. DiTomasso, who is pregnant, said she was looking guardant to the reunion.

“We support saying this is our Christmas miracle,” she said. “I americium conscionable truthful thankful that my dada volition get to conscionable his adjacent grandchild successful May.”