Two men, pet dog missing at sea for over a week found safe on sailboat without fuel 200 miles off Delaware

Two men missing at sea for more than a week were found safely Tuesday hundreds of miles off the coast of Delaware inside their sailboat that ran out of fuel and lost power, federal officials said.

Kevin Hyde, 65, and Joe Ditomasso, 76, waved their arms and a flag to attract the attention of the Silver Muna, a tanker vessel that came to their aid 214 miles east of The First State, according to the United States Coast Guard.

The pair and a pet dog aboard were not heard from since Dec. 3 after they departed from Oregon Inlet in North Carolina, officials said. The men were en route to Florida after leaving from Cape May in New Jersey reportedly in late November.  

“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 told WPVI-TV Monday before the two were rescued.

The Atrevida, which in Spanish means daring, was found without any fuel or power so the radios and navigation equipment didn’t work, the Coast Guard said.

Hyde, Ditomasso and the pet dog were brought aboard the Silver Muna at 4:18 p.m. Tuesday and were evaluated by the vessel’s medical staff, authorities said. They were expected to be brought to New York City by the Silver Muna to reunite with family and friends and for further evaluation, according to the Coast Guard.

U.S. Coast Guard Mid-Atlantic-Facebook

U.S. Coast Guard Mid-Atlantic-Facebook

Hyde and Ditomasso were found a day after the Coast Guard blasted out an alert on social media and to commercial vessels in the area in an attempt to find them.

Aircrafts and cutters were deployed by the Coast Guard while the US Navy’s Second Fleet vessels, and commercial and recreational boats also pitched in to scour through a combined 21,164 square miles of water.

“This is an excellent example of the maritime community’s combined efforts to ensure safety of life at sea,” Cmdr. Daniel Schrader said in a statement. “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,” the Coast Guard Atlantic Area spokesperson added. “Having an emergency position indicating radio beacon, or ‘EPIRB’, allows mariners to immediately make contact with first responders in an emergency.”