Tanker Helps Rescue Overdue Boaters off US East Coast

A Hong Kong registered tanker assisted in the rescue of two men adrift in a sailboat off the U.S. East Coast.

On Sunday, watchstanders at the U.S. Coast Guard Fifth District command center were notified of an overdue sailing vessel, Atrevida II, which was sailing from Cape May, N.J. to Marathon, Fla. The two men aboard, 65-year-old Kevin Hyde and 76-year-old Joe Ditomasso, were last in contact with family and friends on December 3, when they departed Oregon Inlet, N.C. 

The Coast Guard began urgent marine information broadcasts and direct communication with commercial vessels in the area in an attempt to locate the Atrevida II. A search effort was launched, involving multiple Coast Guard aircraft and cutters, vessels from the U.S. Navy’s Second Fleet and commercial and recreational vessels along the U.S. eastern seaboard. 

In total, Coast Guard, Navy and maritime partners scoured a combined 21,164 square miles of water, spanning from northern Florida to the waters east of New Jersey, before the tanker Silver Muna located the overdue sailing vessel approximately 214 miles east of Delaware on Tuesday.

The Atrevida II was found to be without fuel and power, rendering their radios and navigation equipment inoperable. Hyde and Ditomasso gained the attention of the Silver Muna crew by waiving their arms and a flag.

Hyde, Ditomasso and a pet dog were brought aboard the Silver Muna and were deemed to be in good health with no immediate concerns when evaluated by the vessel’s medical staff.

Hyde and Ditomasso will remain aboard Silver Muna as it proceeds to its next port of call in New York, where they will be transferred to a Coast Guard vessel for further evaluation before being reunited with their family and friends.

“This is an excellent example of the maritime community’s combined efforts to ensure safety of life at sea,” said Cmdr. Daniel Schrader, spokesperson for Coast Guard Atlantic Area. “We are overjoyed with the outcome of the case and look forward to reuniting Mr. Hyde and Mr. Ditomasso with their family and friends. 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.”