Sailor Found Alive Two Days After Coast Guard Suspended Search
A sailor who had been missing for almost two weeks was discovered alive near Cape Flattery off the coast of Washington State. This happened two days after the Coast Guard decided to halt the search for him and another person. The pair had departed from Washington’s Grays Harbor on October 12 in a 43-foot vessel called Evening, with plans to return on October 15. The Pacific Northwest Coast Guard announced the suspension of the search on Wednesday after covering 14,000 square miles of water.
The Coast Guard revealed on Thursday that the missing man was found in a life raft around 70 miles northwest of Cape Flattery. It remains unclear how the Good Samaritans who found him managed to locate the man. A photo shared by the Coast Guard showed their boat approaching the life raft, with the missing man sitting inside while two people stood on the edge of the vessel.
The rescuers were identified as Ryan Planes and his uncle John from Sooke, British Columbia, according to KING-TV. John described the emotional moment when they pulled the man on board their vessel, stating that the rescued man had been alone on the raft for 13 days and had resorted to catching and eating a salmon for survival. They provided him with breakfast and water, noting that he was very hungry.
The Coast Guard reported that the rescued man is in stable condition and was taken back to shore by the Canadian Coast Guard and a Canadian rescue agency. A map shared by the Coast Guard illustrated the locations where the Evening departed from and where the life raft was discovered.
Unfortunately, the second person remains missing, and the Coast Guard stated that the incident is still under investigation. It is unclear if the search will resume.
