The unnamed sailor was only stranded for three days, because he was well prepared with the right safety equipment. Things could have been grim otherwise. Even though Cay Sal, or “salt island” is one of the Bahamas, it’s no paradise. Halfway between Cuba and Miami and on traveled air and sea routes, the stranded traveler was not at all easy to see.
Sailor rescued by Coast Guard
The only reason the unnamed sailor was spotted by the crew of Coast Guard Cutter Paul Clark is because he was firing flares in their direction. They never would have seen the SOS he arranged on the beach with rocks.
After his sailboat became disabled, he was marooned on the uninhabited island.
While Cay Sal boasts 2,000 square-miles of area, they’re only about a foot above the water line and easy to miss. Reports call it a “spittle of land nestled between Florida, Cuba and the Bahamas.”
One which most people avoid. Once the sailor was spotted, the Coast Guard’s Air Station Miami dispatched an HC-144 Ocean Sentry aircrew.
Once over the stranded sailor, the Guard dropped down “supplies, including food, water, and a radio to establish communication.”
As soon as he fired up the walkie talkie, “the man notified the crew he’d been stranded for three days after his vessel became disabled during his voyage.”
Picked up in good health
A little while later, the sailor was taken aboard the Paul Clark and whisked off to his home in the Bahamas. They turned him over to the Royal Bahamas Defense Force in “good health,” the Coast Guard notes.
While not identifying the stranded seafarer, they did confirm he’s “a 64-year-old Bahamian national.” It’s not clear what his mishap was but he “told the Coast Guard crew that his sailboat had broken down.” A photo shows it sunk.
While he managed to rig a shelter, survival prospects for the long term weren’t tremendously promising. There isn’t a lot of fresh water there but the Island does have a whole lot of salt. It forms “pans” of virtually pure salt which used to be regularly harvested but not anymore. It does occasionally get stranded Cuban refugees.
Because of that, the Coast Guard regularly flies over and monitors the island. That doesn’t mean they always find stranded people in time. This sailor was lucky because he was prepared.
“We’re proud to have saved this man’s life,” relates Petty Officer 3rd Class Dev Craig, a Coast Guard Sector Key West watchstander.
“This case serves as a perfect example of why you must have the proper safety equipment on your vessel. Without seeing the flare, the case may not have had a successful outcome.“
